Skip to main content
VentureBeat Homepage
  • Events
  • GamesBeat
  • Data Pipeline
  • GamesBeat Summit 2022
  • Account Settings
  • Log Out
  • Become a Member
  • Sign In
VentureBeat Homepage

GamesBeat

VentureBeat

  • AR/VR
  • Big Data
  • Cloud
  • Commerce
  • DataDecisionMakers
  • Dev
  • Enterprise
  • Entrepreneur
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Mobile
  • Security
  • Social
  • Transportation

Follow

follow us on Twitter follow us on Facebook follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS

The Machine

  • AI
  • Machine Learning
  • Computer Vision
  • Natural Language Processing
  • Robotic Process Automation

Follow

Follow us on RSS

GamesBeat

  • Games
  • Esports
  • PC Gaming

Follow

follow us on Twitter Follow us on RSS

Events

  • Upcoming
  • Media Partner
  • Webinars

General

  • Newsletters
  • Got a news tip?
  • Advertise
  • Press Releases
  • Guest Posts
  • Contribute to DataDecisionMakers
  • Deals
  • Data Pipeline
  • Jobs
  • VB Lab
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Join the GamesBeat Community

Free: Join the GamesBeat Community for access to 3 premium posts and unlimited videos per month.

Learn More

Sign up with your business e-mail to continue with ticket purchase

Please wait...

Share

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • VentureBeat Homepage
  • Newsletters
  • Events

China thaws game-license freeze with 80 new approvals

Jeff Grubb@jeffgrubb
January 2, 2019 12:08 PM
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
China is a massive gaming market, but regulatory headwinds are causing problems.
China is a massive gaming market, but regulatory headwinds are causing problems.
Image Credit: Shutterstock

Did you miss a session from GamesBeat Summit 2022? All sessions are available to stream now. Learn more. 


China is finally permitting new games to begin earning revenue there for the first time since March. The country issued 80 licenses to primarily domestic developers making mobile games. This will enable these apps to go on sale or to begin offering premium in-game purchases.

The Chinese State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television that regulates video games posted a list of the new licenses on its website. This should help investors regain some confidence about the $30 billion Chinese gaming industry. It should also help bolster the stock price for major domestic publishers like Tencent and Netease — although that may take some time.

While China did approve of 80 games, not a single one of those came from Tencent or Netease. The SAPPRFT did not explain why it chose some games and not others, but it seems likely that the country’s two biggest gaming companies will get some new licenses of their own soon. And both publishers have games in waiting. In particular, Tencent has PUBG Mobile, which cannot generate revenue in China yet despite having a massive audience.

Why did China put a freeze on games?

So gaming in China is back — although it never really went away. While the government didn’t approve new licenses since March, people were still playing older games. And a huge audience was also using the gray market of Steam to continue buying new releases. Valve is planning to work with Chinese publisher Perfect World to bring an official and approved version of Steam to the country. For now, however, gaming fans can access a censorship-free version that bypasses state regulations.

But if people were continuing to buy and play games, why then did China ever freeze approvals? Well, the SAPPRFT isn’t sharing any answers. A governmental reshuffling did create leadership vacuums among multiple gaming oversight ministries. But at the same time, Chinese officials have begun expressing concerns about the effects of gaming on children.

In early December, China introduced the Online Games Ethics Committee, which has the job of assessing games for content. If certain new releases don’t meet Chinese standards, the OGEC can deny approval or demand content changes.

And so China has ended its gaming freeze, but it has done so only after getting a handle on a new approval process that could prove strict for domestic and foreign developers alike.

GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Learn more about membership.

Author
Jeff Grubb
Topics
Business GamesBeat Mobile PC Gaming

GamesBeat Summit 2022 On-Demand Library

Head over to our on-demand library to view sessions from the live event and rewatch your favorite sessions from our virtual days.

Watch Now

GamesBeat Summit On-Demand Library

Head over to our on-demand library to view sessions from the live event and rewatch your favorite sessions from our virtual days.

Watch Now

Search jobs and find your dream job today.

Get Hired
  • GamesBeat
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on LinkedIn
  • Follow us on RSS
  • VB Lab
  • Newsletters
  • Events
  • Special Issue
  • Product Comparisons
  • Jobs
  • About
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

© 2022 VentureBeat. All rights reserved.

×

We may collect cookies and other personal information from your interaction with our website. For more information on the categories of personal information we collect and the purposes we use them for, please view our Notice at Collection.