“巫妖王之怒”真的通过审批？

　　Chinese Web portal operator Netease.com Inc. (NTES) said Monday it received regulatory approval to offer the latest expansion pack for the popular World of Warcraft online game in China and plans to start letting players download the software next week.

　　中国门户网站运营商网易(Netease.com Inc。)周一说，其获得了监管方面的批准，可提供流行网络游戏《魔兽世界》(World of Warcraft)的最新客户端，并计划从下周开始让玩家下载客户端软件。

　　Regulatory uncertainty delayed the China release of the expansion pack, which launched in the U.S. in late 2008. The new version of the game could boost the company's revenue by attracting more people to try the game and luring players into spending more time online.

　　监管方面的不确定性令已于2008年底在美国发布的该扩展包在中国的发布推迟。新版游戏将吸引更多的人试玩，并吸引玩家延长在线时间，从而为公司带来更多收入。

　　Netease, which operates the game under a license from Activision Blizzard Inc. (ATVI)， said in a statement posted on the World of Warcraft website in China that it received approval to offer the World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King expansion pack from China's culture ministry on Monday and from the country's publishing regulator last month.

　　网易从游戏开发商动视暴雪(Activision Blizzard Inc。)获得特许权运营这款游戏。网易在中国《魔兽世界》官方网站上发布声明说，其周一已收到文化部批文，可提供《魔兽世界：巫妖王之怒》的客户端，此前已于上月收到出版监管部门的批文。

　　Netease will announce a launch date for the expansion pack after completing technical preparations, it said.

　　声明说，网易在完成相关技术准备工作后将宣布游戏上线日期。

　　The company also faced regulatory challenges over the version of the game now available in China after the General Administration of Press and Publication said late last year the company should stop charging players. The administration eventually relented and gave approval for the company to offer World of Warcraft.

　　网易目前在中国运行的游戏版本还面临监管方面的问题，此前中国新闻出版总署去年说该公司应当停止向玩家收费。新闻出版总署最终放宽了要求，批准网易运营《魔兽世界》。



魔兽世界：巫妖王之怒

　　事件回放：

　　The turf battle between two Chinese bureaucracies appears to be escalating, with NetEase.com Inc. (NTES) and the World of Warcraft game still at the center.

　　中国两大监管部门围绕网易(NetEase.com Inc.)和《魔兽世界》(World of Warcraft)的权力争夺战似有愈演愈烈之势。

　　China's General Administration of Press and Publications, or GAPP, said it had rejected NetEase's application to operate the latest version of the World of Warcraft game licensed from Activision Blizzard Inc., in China (ATVI).

　　根据中国新闻出版总署(GAPP)网站发布的一个通知，新闻出版总署表示已经拒绝了网易在中国大陆运营最新版《魔兽世界》的请求，网易此前从动视暴雪(Activision Blizzard)手中获得了这一独家运营权。

　　According to the notice, GAPP also demanded that NetEase immediately stop its commercial exploitation of the game license, which it acquired when Activision Blizzard dropped the game's previous China licensee, The9 Ltd. (NCTY). NetEase was advised to stop taking payments and registering new game accounts, or else face punishment from GAPP, including "suspension of its Internet service."

　　新闻出版总署还在声明要求网易立即停止该游戏的商业开发，这款游戏此前在中国的代理商是第九城市(The9 Ltd)。新闻出版总署要求网易停止收费和新账号注册，否则将对之进行处罚，包括停止其互联网接入服务。

　　GAPP acknowledged that it had allowed NetEase (through a Shanghai affiliate) to start closed beta testing of the game from July 30 on the condition that the company wouldn't charge players or accept new account registrations. But on Sept. 19, NetEase officially resumed the operation of WoW in mainland China, allowing Chinese players to add money to existing accounts and registering for new accounts, even though it hadn't received formal approval, actions which GAAP characterized as "illegal."

　　新闻出版总署此前允许网易公司(通过上海关联企业网之易公司)自7月30日起进行内部测试，但要求内测期间不得收费和提供新账号的注册。但网易于9月19日在未获批准的情况下已正式恢复了在中国大陆的运营，允许玩家向已有帐户续费并进行新账号注册，这种做法被新闻出版总署视为非法。

　　China's Ministry of Culture promptly weighed in with a response. Liu Qiang, director of the ministry's Internet culture office said that GAPP would be violating government regulations if it punished an online game company, according to this report on Sina.com.

　　中国文化部(Ministry of Culture)很快反戈一击。根据新浪网(Sina.com)的报导，文化部网络文化处处长刘强说，如果新闻出版总署处罚网络游戏公司就会违反政府规定。

　　In September, the central government attempted to clarify the respective responsibilities of the MoC and GAPP on regulating Internet games. According to China's State Commission Office for Public Sector Reform, GAPP is responsible for pre-approval of online game publication, but once a game is released online, it falls under the sole jurisdiction of the MoC.

　　中国政府在9月份时试图明确文化部和新闻出版总署在监管网络游戏方面各自的责任。根据中央机构编制委员会办公室(State Commission Office for Public Sector Reform)发布的文件，所有网络游戏都要在发行前获得新闻出版总署的批准，但是已发布的网络游戏则由文化部负责监管。

　　On Sept. 28, MoC officials again released a notice that said it alone could supervise the online game market in China. The document also said that the MoC would be in charge of punishing companies that operate online games without GAPP approval.

　　9月28日，文化部官员再次发表声明称，该部门拥有中国网络游戏市场的独家监管权；同时表示将由文化部负责惩罚那些在得到新闻出版总署批准前即运营网络游戏的公司。

　　Last month, GAPP released a circular banning foreign investment in China's online game industry.

上个月，新闻出版总署发文禁止外国企业投资中国网络游戏产业。

　　Neither GAPP nor the MoC responded to questions regarding the apparent conflict. NetEase declined to comment。

　　新闻出版总署和文化部都没有就双方明显的冲突做出回应。网易则拒绝就此置评。

　　Chinese WoW players are divided over the dispute. Some are seething with anger. It's "really a tragedy...WoW players are the ones suffer the most....Who cares about us?" said one player on a popular local game forum. Other said they were taking a wait-and-see approach.

　　中国《魔兽世界》的玩家对双方争执看法不一。有些人非常恼火。有一位玩家在大陆一个知名游戏论坛留言到：这真是个悲剧，《魔兽世界》的玩家受到了最大的影响，有谁关心我们？还有人说将持观望态度。