China devotes new rules for the approval of games

China has created a new gaming approval process, as detailed market analyst Niko Partners.

The country is the largest gaming market in the world, but all publishers must submit their games to the government for a content review and monetization. This can make the release process in China difficult.

The approval process was suspended in April 2017 with the introduction by China of a new group of regulators, China Press and Publication Administration (SAPP). He re-approved the games in December, which has earned him about 1,000 titles since then. SAPP stopped the process again in February. He will start reviewing the games again when the new approval system is operational by the end of the month.

SAPP held a conference on April 10 to establish the new rules. The deputy director of the Central Propaganda Department, Feng Shixin, said online gambling in the country was worth $ 30 billion a year, saying China had more than 600 million players. But the gaming industry has grown rapidly and the country's regulations could not keep up.

What changes

The new process includes an online gaming ethics committee, created in December 2018. This group will decide whether the games conform to Chinese "social values". Publishers must also submit the software through a new application process.

China will also be stricter with regard to the types of games that it approves, showing more and more attention to cheap clones. It will also limit the number of poker and mahjong titles that go to the market. In 2017, 37% of the 8,561 games approved were poker and mahjong.

The games in the country also comply with the new anti-addiction rules, targeting the time and money that minors can spend while playing. In addition, although browser games have not been thoroughly reviewed, they will now need to follow the same process as other games.

In addition to the rules, China "encourages" the studios to do something. This includes self-regulation and the production of titles that emphasize traditional culture and China's historical accuracy.