The founder and chief executive officer to NetEase, William Ding Lei, has resigned from a number of his management positions at the firm.

As reported by South China Morning Post, the exec has stepped down from his role as director, general manager and legal representative of NetEase Media. He has been replaced by Li Li, the CEO of the NetEase Media incorporated in the Cayman Islands.

Apparently, this is "normal" business operations, according to a comment from NetEase.

This is seemingly due to the increasing restrictions there are on the tech and internet sectors in China at the moment. New laws have come into effect that legislates when minors can play games and for how long they are able to do so. The approval process for games to be released in China is also set to become stricter. 

There is also the possibility of another round of restrictions coming into effect.