Chinese players of World of Warcraft may be out of luck after a government regulator rejected an application from the game’s new licensed operator. The General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) has terminated Chinese Internet portal NetEase’s application seeking approval for the game, due to rule violations.

NetEase violated a rule banning new account registration and collection of subscription fees during a trial period that started July 30, when the firm was ordered to “revise harmful content” in the game. The online role-playing game had around five million active users in China, under its previous The9 banner, and managed net revenue of 380 million yuan (56 million dollars) in the fourth quarter of 2008. NetEase announced in April that it had won a three-year license for the game from Blizzard after The9’s license had expired.

Analysts said it was uncertain if GAPP’s rejection would lead to a permanent ban in China as NetEase had received approval in April from the culture ministry, which is also tasked with regulating computer games.

Source: AFP