China Rushes to Approve 105 Online Games Following Recent Restrictions
Over the years, we’ve seen the Chinese government clamp down on online gaming, which includes limiting the amount of time children can spend playing games and the constant dissemination of information emphasizing how addictive gaming is. Recently, Chinese regulators announced new restrictions aimed at introducing spending limits across gaming platforms and even preventing minors from tipping game streamers. These were implemented by the National Press and Publications Administration.
Shortly after the announcement, several companies, including gaming giants Tencent and NetEase, were forced to bear the brunt of the announcement as they collectively lost tens of billions of dollars in market value. But as reported by the Associated Press (AP), China’s regulatory body did a 180-degree turn. In light of the huge losses that game makers suffered from their recent restrictions, the regulatory body announced that it will approve 105 new online games and expressed its full support for the industry.
Officials also issued a statement saying these approvals from the China Music and Digital Association’s Game Work Committee were “positive signals supporting the prosperity and healthy development of the online game industry.”
Among those approved are Tencent’s “Counter War: Future” and Netease’s “Firefly Assault.”
However, China’s domestic gaming market is quite large, and the 2023 China Gaming Industry Report was cited by the press and public administration as showing that the value of the online gaming market alone exceeded 300 billion yuan, about $42 billion, with nearly 668 million players playing. the games.
“The Gaming Commission hopes that member units will take advantage of the opportunity to bring more high-quality products to the market, promote the quality development of the online gaming industry, and promote cultural prosperity and development, as well as build a culturally powerful country,” the National Press and Publications Administration added.
These are certainly positive steps for now for China’s gaming industry, which has been marred by restrictions for a long time.
