Chinese regulator the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) has agreed to review NetEase’s application to operate World Of Warcraft after initially rejecting the proposal.

GAPP said that it “has agreed to process” NetEase’s application, having previously refused to do so because it felt the operator had “seriously violated” Chinese online games regulations, reports Business Week.

Meanwhile, NetEase has suspended new user registrations until at least February 14. The company declined to comment on whether the move was linked to its application.

Last April NetEase acquired the licence to operate World Of Warcraft in mainland China for three years under the terms of a deal with the game’s publisher, Activision Blizzard. NetEase's operation of the online title has been upset on numerous occasions, most notably as the company found itself in the middle of a dispute between the GAPP and China’s Ministry Of Culture, which saw the two regulatory bodies at loggerheads over the vague demarcation of their responsibilities.