China's Gaming Industry, Emerges From Devastating, 9-Month Freeze.
Kotaku reports that China has finally started to issue new approvals for domestic games.
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Kotaku reports that China has finally started to issue new approvals for domestic games.
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On April 11, China's National Press and Publication Association approved 45 new titles, the first to be permitted since last July.
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While this provides some relief for the Chinese games industry overall, 14,000 other game companies deregistered during the nine-month freeze.
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Kotaku reports that the freeze was partly put in place due to more stringent content restrictions on games for minors.
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The restrictions came after Chinese parents argued that free-to-play mobile games were negatively impacting their children's well-being.
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Tencent and Netease, two of China's biggest gaming companies, lost $60 billion in stock value as a result of those restrictions last September.
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Tencent and Netease, two of China's biggest gaming companies, lost $60 billion in stock value as a result of those restrictions last September.
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According to Kotaku, China only hands out about 1,300 game licenses every year.
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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.
