China Changes Rules and Regulations on Local Game Publishing

Despite being one of the biggest countries in the world, China has always been a step or two behind in regards to video game creative freedom. But they appear to be making progress as new rules and regulations for publishing games were announced.

You can't simply sell a game in China. You have to apply for monetization and be approved for it by the Chinese government. Problem is, they stopped issuing licenses to monetize online games back in March 2018. They opened up applications back in January, only to pause it again in February.

Last Friday, The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television released the new rules that will control the content vetting process and the number of games allowed on the market.

According to Reuters, Gaming market research and consulting firm Niko Partners were told about the new guidelines ahead of time, and that they were reassured that the Chinese government is currently working through their backlog of applications. Niko also claims that the administration will start accepting new applications again this week.

Each and every game that applies is encouraged to be made with China's "Core Social Values" in mind, with a preference for traditional Chinese culture.

It may not be the same degree of freedom that game publishing in America has, but it's a step forward for Chinese gamers to get to enjoy new and interesting titles.