In a written statement, NetEase said Tuesday it had not been officially notified of GAPP's decision. The company said it was "currently seeking clarification" from the relevant authorities.

Officials from GAPP could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Experts have described China's online gaming industry as one of the nation's most promising sectors. The nation's online gaming industry took in around 2.7 billion yuan (US$395.6 million) last year, according to official statistics.

China had 217 million online gamers by June.

The battle between the two regulatory agencies over who controls online gaming has left many players anxious.

Zhang Chao, 28, who has been a World of WarCraft player for five years, said the dispute was "a show of the intensity of conflict between government agencies whose roles have not been clearly defined".

"Of course, players like us wouldn't want to see the game suspended. This looks as if they're just messing around with things over a conflict of interest," Zhang said.

A 29-year-old worker at an online advertising agency, who would only give her cyber name, Xiaoyun, said she plays for around 4 hours a day. She said many online gamers will play via servers in Taiwan, where they will have to spend about twice as much.

"I don't care which government agency is overseeing online games. But whoever it is, they never come to us for our opinion," she said. "The players are the biggest victims."

(China Daily November 4, 2009)