China's The9 faces bankruptcy if Wrath expansion not approv : World of Warcraft General Discussions

China's The9 faces bankruptcy if Wrath expansion not approved by government
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Business models, Expansions, MMO industry, News items

We reported the other day on the issues that The9 is having with getting the Wrath of the Lich King expansion released in China. The government is unwilling to approve the World of Warcraft expansion, citing 'health' and decency concerns about the game's content. The9 is the licensed operator of World of Warcraft in China, and the company paid a significant amount in licensing fees to Blizzard Entertainment in April of 2008 to secure the rights to operate Wrath, according to Shanghai-based JLM Pacific Epoch.

Although the Chinese regulatory body, the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), is chiefly concerned with removing "unhealthy" content from the game, their stance could prove disastrous for The9. If GAPP doesn't green light the Wrath of the Lich King expansion in China, The9 will not be able to recoup their losses and may face bankruptcy.


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China's The9 faces bankruptcy if Wrath expansion not approved by government originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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Author: James Egan
Category: asiabusiness-modelscensorshipchinaexpansionsfantasygappjlm-pacific-epochlicensed-operatormmo-industryoperatorregulationregulatory-bodyshanghaithe9world-of-warcraftwotlkwowwrathwrath-of-the-lich-king
Publish Date: Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST
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