China’s Ministry of Culture tightens grip on MMO industry

It’s tough for a Western game developer, working with partners in the region, to maintain creative control of its product in China. And it is getting tougher every day. The Chinese government announced late Wednesday night that it will tighten regulations on online games even more.

China’s Ministry of Culture said in a circular that it would require game operators to re-examine the content of the games they offer to make sure it doesn’t contain and “obscene or violent content” or anything that might be considered “lowbrow.” But what it really means is that the Ministry of Culture wants to stamp out any themes that go against the government’s socialist views. The circular also said that operators must limit the number of virtual marriages and player-versus-player combat sessions in these games.’

The circular says as much plainly enough: they want game operators to “enhance socialist values” and hire “specialist” to monitor content. No doubt these “experts” will be provided or recommended by the Ministry of Culture.

The changes will affect a lot of operators including Shanda Games, NetEase, The9, CDC Games, Tencent Holdings etc. Most of these companies will simply comply with these requests. But do game developers in North America, Europe and other parts of the world want the Chinese government to say what it can and can’t have in its games?

On the other hand, Blizzard learned the hard way that you can’t win against the Chinese government when it tried to switch operators (from The9 to NetEase). Now World of Warcraft is no longer running in that region.

As harsh as this truth is, it should be troubling to any MMO creator who wants to maintain their original vision and have it running in China.
Operators in the region have no choice. NetEase’s Chief Executive Officer William Ding said in an earnings call on Thursday, that, while he had not seen the full details of the circular, his company is willing to comply..

China’s online game industry is incredibly lucrative and growing; by the end of 2009 it should record growth between 30 - 50 percent, with estimated sales revenue of 24 - 27 billion yuan (that’s $3.5 - $4 billion USD). The total number of online game players is estimated to be more than 50 million.

Chinese government cracks down on World of Warcraft

Activision Blizzard and top Chinese online gaming company NetEase continue to have problems in China as government regulators put the squeeze on the duo related to World of Warcraft. NetEase announced this week that the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) has returned its application to operate the latest version of Activision World of Warcraft in the region due to “gross violations” of regulations.

The Chinese government run agency emphasized the point by posting a statement on its Web site demanding that NetEase suspend charging users to play the game, and started rejecting new account registrations. This news certainly puts into question World of Warcraft’s future in the lucrative region and also didn’t help both companies’ stock prices, which took slight hits.

Analysts familiar with the region believe that this is tantamount to a turf war, after Blizzard walked away from a contract with another Chinese online games provider The9, which the Chinse government apparently favors. While that is certainly a factor, the Chinese government has been cracking down on game content that it sees as undesirable. It especially enjoys cracking down on companies that have foreign investment; in Oct. the government banned many forms of foreign investment into the country’s online games industry.

And the news certainly isn’t hurting NetEase’s competitors; Shanda Games saw a bump of 3.1 percent, while The9 closed at 4.3 percent yesterday on the news. But it does hurt Western companies like Activision and EA, who want to crack the market and take some of the profits being generated there; the Chinese gaming market is projected to grow by 30 - 50 percent this year to $4 billion.

Tankard O’ Terror pre-order available

3 Point Entertainment’s TavernCraft is producing the Tankard O’ Terror, a special tankard based on the featured item available in Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft during the annual Brewfest in-game event. If you were at BlizzCon you probably saw some of this company’s craftsemanship first hand. The company says that the tankard is an exact scaled-up replica of the in-game version. Taverncraft is now accepting pre-orders for a mid-November ship date in time for the holidays.

The Tankard O’ Terror is the largest tankard or stein Taverncraft has offered to date: it weighs over 4 lbs (1.8 kgms), has nearly a two-liter (1/2 gallon) capacity and stands 9 3/4” (24.8 cm) tall. Made from fine-grain stoneware, the Tankard O’ Terror is currently available to pre-order at for a retail price of $39.99.

Please, if you buy one put what it is intended to have in it if you are over the age of 21. No Mountain Dew allowed!

BlizzCon PPV on DirectTV beginning August 21

Couldn’t make it to BlizzCon 2009 and find yourself crying in your WOW themed tankard of Mountain Dew? Well if you are a DirectTV subscriber then you can at least watch Blizzard Entertainment’s sold-out gaming convention for all things Warcraft, Diablo, and StarCraft game universes via a televised live HD broadcast beginning on Aug. 21– 22. Direct TV is offering a pay per view event and providing gamers from around the world with access to BlizzCon 2009 via a new live internet streaming option.

The DIRECTV-produced event hosted by Geoff Keighley will deliver 18 hours of live HD coverage from the show floor, including the closing concert headlined by the Ozzy Osbourne. Additional coverage will include exclusive interviews and commentary, main stage presentations, tournament coverage and team highlights, and more.

DIRECTV customers who purchase the two-day event, which is available for $39.95, will receive 18 hours of live HD event coverage, the BlizzCon 2009 exclusive World of Warcraft in-game pet (Grunty the Murloc Marine), free access to the internet stream on both Friday and Saturday of the event, and a fifty percent discount on customizable limited edition BlizzCon 2009 t-shirts available at www.swagdog.com/exclusive.

To order check your local DirectTV listings or check out directv.com/blizzcon.

Ozzy Osbourne to perform at BlizzCon

Blizzard Entertainment announced that Ozzy Osbourne will headline the closing concert at this year’s BlizzCon August 21-22 at the Anaheim Convention Center. While tickets to the sold out the minute they were made available, a live Pay Per View event will be available via Internet stream and in HD on DIRECTV.
While you won’t be able to see Ozzy ride the crazy train live if you don’t already hold a ticket, you can catch his performance, along with a variety of other BlizzCon activities if you are a DirectTV subscriber.

The live Pay Per View event can still be ordered for $39.95 USD, and is available via DIRECTV and Internet stream (pricing and availability may vary by region). Visit www.blizzcon.com for more details and ordering information.

SteelSeries does StarCraft II

Today SteelSeries revealed a new line of gaming surfaces featuring art from Blizzard Entertainment’s StarCraft II. The QcK Limited Edition Terran Marine and Kerrigan vs. Zeratul editions are designed with a non-slip rubber base which prevents the pads from sliding, no matter what surface the mousepad is placed on, according to SteelSeries.

The gaming surfaces will be available in July 2009 and will be sold for $14.99 from GameStop and Amazon. A photo of one of the pads can be found below - click on it for an enlightened view.

Ten new World of Warcraft themed Peggle levels released

PopCap Games has released ten new World of Warcraft-themed Peggle levels - available for free at www.popcap.com/promos/pegglewow.

The new WoW-themed Peggle mash-up is a stand-alone version of Peggle, available for free that combines the sights, sounds and storyline of World of Warcraft with the rainbows and unicorns of everyone’s peg-popping addiction. It’s like crack mixed with meth, with a thin coating of ecstasy. It features ten new levels with Peggle masters Bjorn the Unicorn and Splork with his Space Blast facing off against denizens of Azeroth in scenes with names like Too Soon, Executus and The Traitor King – as well as ten new challenges with titles such as Phat Lewtz and Pwnyxia.

The WoW-themed Peggle mash-up is a joint collaboration between PopCap Games and World of Warcraft developer Blizzard Entertainment.