Chinese regulators have approved foreign computer games for the first time in eighteen months. The green light was given for 44 international titles.
Beijing targeted the lucrative video game industry last year because computer games were said to be too addictive, according to the Chinese government. That is why in the summer of 2021 she froze all new permits for nine months and strict restrictions were introduced for minors. The demarche was part of a broader government campaign to curb China’s increasingly powerful tech sector.
In April, the regulators resumed licensing, but so far no foreign games have been approved. That finally changed today: they gave their approval to 44 international games, for the first time since June 2021. In addition, 84 domestic games also received approval this month.
One of the approved foreign games is ‘Pokémon Unite’, which the Japanese Nintendo developed together with Tencent. For the Chinese tech giant, this is only the second title to get the green light again: last month it was ‘Metal Slug: Awakening’, the first approval for Tencent in a year and a half.
The new licenses are a boost for the gaming sector. It raises hopes that Beijing will loosen the reins again.
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