Wednesday, Chinese officials authorized the release of 44 new international video games, the first since an industry-wide campaign to curb the gaming habits of children rocked the sector a year ago.
As part of a wide-ranging assault on large digital businesses, including a limit on the amount of time children might spend playing games, Beijing took action against the country’s thriving gaming industry in August of 2017.
Officials also suspended approvals of new titles for nine months, until April, but an increasing number of domestic titles have subsequently been approved.
Additionally, German consumer sentiment improves as the new year approaches.
The National Press and Publication Administration announced on Wednesday that it has cleared 44 new imported games in December, including Pokemon Unite from Nintendo.
The National Press and Publication Administration announced on Wednesday that it has cleared 44 new imported games in December, including Pokemon Unite from Nintendo. Image by Flickr user Alexis Hope.
It approved 84 additional domestic titles separately. The organization typically approves foreign titles in batches a handful of times per year. The last international game approvals were granted in June 2021.
China handed Tencent its first video game license in 18 months earlier this month, breaking a drought that had challenged its status as the world’s leading game developer.
Additionally, “Avatar” continues to make millions of dollars on Box Office charts.
CHINA’S GAMING REGULATIONS
According to a research published on Wednesday by Chinese gaming consultancy Gamma Data, China’s video game market decreased by more than 19 percent year-over-year in November.
The permission indicates a softening of China’s stance towards internet businesses, while games with politically incorrect themes are still restricted.
During the crackdown, hundreds of game developers committed to removing “politically harmful” information from their products and enforcing age restrictions on minors in order to comply with government requests.
»China has authorized the first Western video games since the crackdown«