Insiders Deny Rumors China Has Stopped Approving Video Games
Tang Shihua | Duan Qianqian
DATE:  Feb 22 2019
/ SOURCE:  yicai
Insiders Deny Rumors China Has Stopped Approving Video Games Insiders Deny Rumors China Has Stopped Approving Video Games

(Yicai Global) Feb. 22 -- Claims that China has once again stopped releasing video game licenses are nothing but unsubstantiated rumors, several game industry sources all told Yicai Global in interviews.

Game companies can officially debut new offerings in China after obtaining licenses.

China halted game license approvals last March amid agency reshuffles but resumed them at the end of December after conclusion of this administrative reform, which devolved onto the General Administration of Press and Publications the approval authority formerly vested in the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

"The content regulator has approved a backlog of applications since the end of December. It released licenses on Feb. 12 in which it approved six batches," a person in charge of a Shenzhen-based game company told Yicai Global.

GAPP stopped accepting new applications since it began maintenance of its application system last September, however. "The system remains shut down after the resumption of approvals and a logjam of applications has built up during the review suspension," the source added.

GAPP is planning to hold a meeting with local regulators to guide the development of the game sector, possibly in early March, a person close to the agency told Yicai Global.

Social Benefits

"The entire game sector has yet to see a true quality product like Operation Red Sea in the film business. The authorities expect games to have a positive effect on society, promote Chinese traditional culture and prioritize social benefits rather than commercial results," the source said.

Operation Red Sea is a film that came out in February last year which tells the story of a Chinese naval commando who rescues his co-nationals from terrorists in East Africa. The feature film not only did well at the box office, but also won government recognition for its content.

"Both GAPP and the Ministry of Culture indicated in conferences with sector insiders that games' content should promote Chinese traditional culture and benefit society," another insider also told Yicai Global.

Editor: Ben Armour

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Keywords:   Video Games