'World of Warcraft' Registration Suspended In China

The ongoing conflict between Chinese "World of Warcraft" operator NetEase and China’s General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) just kicked up a notch, as the company has suspended new user registration while it tries to get approval to run the "Burning Crusade" expansion pack in the country.

"We recently submitted our application to operate World of Warcraft (The Burning Crusade) to the General Administration of Press and Publication for review," the company said, according to Reuters.

Not knowing the nuances of how GAPP operates, I'm hard-pressed to hypothesize about what implications come with this latest development, but the Ministry of Culture of China and GAPP have reportedly sparred over differences regarding how to deal with "WoW," and from outside of the situation, it appears as if this divide has mostly caused indecision and stalling as NetEase has tried to get proper licensing for their endeavors.

The new user registration suspensions will supposedly last for a week, but that may be an optimistic outlook if they fail to get necessary approval. Then again, if NetEase is truly in compliance with local laws as they've said before, the government's indecision could ultimately result in inaction, allowing them to resume normal "WoW" activities until either a hammer or a notice of approval lands on them courtesy of GAPP.

What do you think will happen with "WoW" in China? How do you read the current situation? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Tags blizzard, netease, world of warcraft