China is the largest video game market in the world with over 720 million players and nearly $40 billion in revenue during 2020. Entering China is often seen as a daunting task for developers, due to the opaque regulatory landscape, yet some of the top games in China today are from developers outside the country including [...]
The second batch of import games approved for release in 2020 China’s game regulator, the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) has published a second batch of import game licenses on August 6, 2020. This is welcome news for the games industry as the last batch to be approved was in March 2020 and the one [...]
Apple has confirmed that it will require game developers to have a valid ISBN (publishing license number) by June 30, 2020 for all paid games or games that have in-app purchases (IAP) so they can be legally distributed via the China App Store. Games that do not register an ISBN with Apple before this date will [...]
In February 2020 we published Game regulations in China: everything you need to know as a comprehensive resource for our readers. With the majority of new regulations in place, our observation now is that China’s SAPP has shifted to enforcement, including potentially closing loopholes that have been around for years. We base our analysis on recent game [...]
China’s regulators announced 2020’s first batch of imported games licenses on March 12, the first since November 25, 2019. In 2019 there were also no imported games licenses in January or February, however this could be purely coincidental. This batch has 27 titles, including 16 mobile games, 6 PC games and 5 console games, please see [...]
A dramatic overhaul to the regulation and licensing of digital games took place in China from March 2018-April 2019. The State Administration of Press and Publications (SAPP), formed in 2018, introduced a new approval process for digital games on April 22, 2019, including new application forms for publishers to access online. The SAPP had to work [...]
Last month we wrote about how Chinese lawmakers were looking to revise the Minor Protection Law to strengthen regulation around minors in online games. This week, China’s gaming regulator, the State Administration of Press and Publication, released a notice titled “Notice on preventing addiction among minors in online games”. The notice builds on top of existing [...]
Chinese lawmakers are considering a draft revision to the current Minor Protection Law that will strengthen the protection of minors both online and in the real world. The draft contains two new chapters on ‘Network Protection’ and ‘Government Protection’ and increases the number of items covered from 72 to 130. The Minor Protection Law was first [...]
China’s State Administration of Press and Publication (SAPP) held a conference on April 10th to communicate new rules and regulations regarding game publication in China. The SAPP was formed in April 2018 as the new gaming regulator in charge of game approvals in the country. Game publishers are required to submit games for content and monetisation [...]
As of March 29th, a total of 989 video games have received licenses since approvals restarted on December 19th. China’s new gaming regulator, the State Administration of Press and Publication (SAPP), halted approvals at the end of March 2018 for a period lasting nine months, to restructure and reform the licensing process. China’s government has taken [...]
