China's Gaming Industry, Emerges From Devastating, 9-Month Freeze.
Kotaku reports that China has finally started
to issue new approvals for domestic games. .
Kotaku reports that China has finally started
to issue new approvals for domestic games. .
On April 11, China's National Press and Publication
Association approved 45 new titles, the first
to be permitted since last July. .
While this provides some relief for the Chinese games
industry overall, 14,000 other game companies
deregistered during the nine-month freeze. .
Kotaku reports that the freeze was
partly put in place due to more stringent
content restrictions on games for minors. .
The restrictions came after Chinese parents
argued that free-to-play mobile games were
negatively impacting their children's well-being. .
Tencent and Netease, two of China's biggest
gaming companies, lost $60 billion in stock value
as a result of those restrictions last September. .
Tencent and Netease, two of China's biggest
gaming companies, lost $60 billion in stock value
as a result of those restrictions last September. .
According to Kotaku,
China only hands out about
1,300 game licenses every year. .
The scarcity has created an extremely competitive
Chinese game industry where smaller developers struggle
to keep up with the changing regulatory landscape.
Larger studios have reportedly focused on producing
higher quality, story-rich experiences that have
a better chance of being awarded a license.