Interesting recaps on WoWs history in China have been posted at two (totally games-unrelated) blogs, written by China-based international lawyer Dan Harris and Dan Maas, head of special effects company, Maas Digital:

“Blizzard had successfully brought WoW into the Chinese market in 2005 through a license agreement with local game developer The9. The relationship turned sour last summer when negotiations to renew the license bogged down in a dispute over division of profits. Blizzard ultimately decided to terminate The9’s license and shift WoW’s China operations to another local company, NetEase. (The9 responded acrimoniously, filing suit against Blizzard and announcing development of its own sword-and-sorcery game called “World of Fight”). WoW was knocked off-line for over three months during the transition, leaving a gigantic vacuum in the market which competitors rushed to fill. Kingsoft, Shanda, and other gaming companies stepped up promotional efforts to lure former WoW players to their own games…”

The punch-line here seems to be that western companies like Blizzard are struggling with an unclear regulatory atmosphere and sharing of revenues, while local developers are thriving on better cultural understanding and other practical advantages (like smoother payment systems, looser regulatory oversight, etc.)

Read the full post after the jump.