China approves 45 new video games after a 9-month ban that led 14,000 developers to shut down

• China on Monday approved gaming licenses for 45 video games.
• The country had stopped issuing licenses in July 2021.
• Over 14,000 small developers were reportedly forced to shut down due to the ban.

In a sigh of relief to video game publishers in China, Beijing has finally started approving gaming licenses. The country had stopped approving gaming licenses in July.

China requires game publishers to obtain regulatory approvals before they release a game. The country’s National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) is the regulatory body that provides approvals for video games in the country.

According to a report by The Register, China approved just 45 games on Monday. The country had last approved games in July 2021, in which 87 games had received licenses. Considering that no game has been approved since July 2021, it is odd that only 45 games have received approval.

According to the above report, prior to the ban, around 80 to 100 games were approved each month in China.

While the move to ban video game approvals was done to reduce gaming addiction among the youth of the country, it had an adverse impact on companies like Tencent, a major player in the gaming industry that owns titles like PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile, Ring Of Elysium and more.

The smaller developers have had a bigger impact and as per a report by SCMP, over 14,000 firms in the gaming industry have shut down since a freeze was announced on the issue of gaming licenses.
China’s crackdown on games
The freeze on issue of gaming licenses was just a part of China’s bigger crackdown on gaming in the country. In 2019, the country had banned gamers under the age of 18 years from playing games after 10 pm.

Taking it a step further, the country had released anti-addiction guidelines in 2021, resulting in several restrictions on the gamers in the country. The country allows minors to play video games only on public holidays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 8 pm to 9 pm. Meaning, a maximum of 3 to 4 hours of gaming per week.

Gamers are also required to use their original names and government-issued identification cards for online gaming.

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