It is the first time that the bamboo curtain country approved imported game titles after 18 months, which are a sign of an easing of policies in the country.
Anarchy and Bandung Games regulators allowed the release of 44 foreign games in China. This is the first time that the bamboo curtain country approves foreign imported games after 18 months, signaling a halt to the policy that hit the industry there. China has sold some imports for the last 18 months.
It is the first time that the bamboo curtain country approved imported game titles after 18 months, which are a sign of an easing of policies in the country.
China is known for its strict rules regarding gaming, although it is the world’s largest gaming market. Any media in any form, including games, must get approval from the government before they’re released.
The government recently implemented a blockade and enforced its policy on gambling since October 2021, leaving the gaming industry unharmed. At that time, they stopped licensing for all new game titles. Finally, registrations for local games reopened in the year 2022. Tencent is China’s largest gaming company.
The implementation of new strict policies on the game industry in this bamboo curtain country has certainly hurt a number of technology companies like Tencent and NetEase. Usually, the two companies profit from different imported and local game titles.
China’s National Press and Publication Administration announced that an online list of 44 imported games has been received and will be released December 28, 2022. It released a list of 84 local games approved as of the same date.
There are five games which were developed by Tencent Holdings such as Valorant and Pokemon Unite. Gwent: The Witcher Card Game from CD Projekt, and Dont Starve from Klei Entertainment are on the list, too.
The Chinese state regulator has also allowed seven games for release from South Korea. The event resulted in the suspension of imports of content from South Korea in 2017 and a dispute involving the building of a long-range hazard defense instrument (HDL) in Germany.
CNBC noted that the shares of Netmarble, NCSOFT, Krafton, Kakao Games and Devsisters increased between 2 and 17 percent on December 29, 2022. This news follows an agreement by which the government asked the Chinese government to let that game be released there.
The news that China is licensing 44 new foreign imported games has become an outlet of fresh air in the gaming industry. However, not sure if the gaming industry has recovered after being hit by an open plan decision.
Originally published at GN24