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China Bans Unapproved Video Game Livestreams, Lifts Game Licensing Freeze

April 21, 2022 Marc Marasigan Comments

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The Chinese government has implemented new measures in its ongoing campaign to protect its citizens from the supposed evils posed by video games. Reuters reports that China’s National Radio and Television Administration has banned all video game broadcasts and livestreams that haven’t been approved by the related government agencies. These include coverage of overseas competitions and games. “For a period [...]

Chinese Government Drafts New Resolution To Require ‘Youth Mode’ For All Online Services

March 16, 2022 Marc Marasigan Comments

The Chinese government intensifies its iron-fisted control on the video game industry in the country with new restrictions for online platforms, including games, live-streaming, video, audio, and social media. According to the South China Morning Post, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has drafted new regulations as part of their efforts to limit minors’ access to internet services. Once the [...]

Chinese Moratorium On Games Continues As 14,000 Video Game-Related Companies Shut Down

January 5, 2022 Marc Marasigan Comments

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Since July 2021, the Chinese National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) has imposed a moratorium on the release of games in the country as part of its fight against what they regard as spiritual opium that threatens to destroy a generation of their citizens. These restrictions have had a significant effect on Chinese video game companies, including Tencent, and have [...]

Steam Benefits From China's Video Gaming Crackdown

October 23, 2018 Erhan Altay Comments

Valve's Steam platform has emerged as an unexpected beneficiary of China's sweeping video game approval freeze. While Steam was never officially approved in China, it hasn't been officially censored either. The gray space the platform occupies has made it an attractive refuge for both Chinese gamers and developers who have grown frustrated with the ongoing game approval freeze which domestic [...]

China's Freeze on New Games May Continue for Another 4-6 Months

September 12, 2018 Michelle K Comments

China's gaming industry is in for a long winter, as the ongoing embargo on new game approvals by the Chinese government is now predicted to last another 4-6 months. After a recent list of official "recommendations" were sent to various regulatory bodies in China, which included guidelines such as more stringent approval processes and limiting the number of game licenses, [...]

Chinese Govt Proposes Stricter Regulations and Approval for Games

August 31, 2018 Michelle K Comments

With the ongoing government shake up that has led to the continued freeze of game approvals in China, the Chinese government has issued an official notice regarding the new proposed regulations around the gaming industry. With recommendations sent out to 8 different regulatory bodies, the government is rallying a concerted effort with the aim to reduce myopia rates in children [...]

China's Regulators Halt Approval of New Games

August 20, 2018 Michelle K Comments

Amidst an ongoing government shake up, China's content regulators have inadvertently put the approval of new games on indefinite hold until further notice. Home to what is the biggest market in the gaming industry, China's freeze on new games is not only affecting local industry players, but causing headaches for overseas publishers as well. While there has been no official [...]

Arena of Valor Causes Surge of Fake Online IDs in China

August 20, 2017 Michelle K Comments

Just last month, Tencent had begun imposing time restrictions on its mega-hit game Arena of Valor (Honor of Kings) in China, thanks to increasing concern from Chinese officials and the general public from recent game-related incidents that had taken place. According to the new time restrictions imposed, children under the age of 13 were only allowed 1 hour of daily [...]

Mobile Esports Revenue at $7B Estimate for China

June 5, 2017 Michelle K Comments

According to a recent report, China's mobile Esports revenue is expected to earn $6.78 billion by the end of 2017. The estimate is projected on numbers from 2016, where mobile Esports revenue had net China $1.9 billion, triple the figures seen in 2015. Given the growing boom in China's mobile Esports scene, revenues are predicted to follow the same upwards [...]