China on Wednesday granted licenses to video games strangers. This type of authorization is a first in eighteen months, auguring a certain relaxation in a sector undermined by the Chinese authorities.
If video games represent a significant financial windfall in the country, they were in the crosshairs of the authorities in 2021 for their addictive side among the youngest. The Chinese government had decided to freeze for nine months any new license, mandatory to market a game on the market.
A battered market that regains confidence
Licensing resumed in April 2022, but no foreign video games had obtained one since. The last authorization in China for a foreign game dates back to June 2021. This Wednesday, 44 foreign games finally received the green light for marketing. Japanese Nintendo has thus obtained a license for its game “Pokémon Unite”.
At the same time, no less than 84 Chinese games also obtained authorization on Wednesday. China generally only endorses foreign games a few times a year, unlike local games, which are accepted monthly. In November, authorities granted Chinese heavyweight Tencent its first license in a year and a half.
The decision had sent a positive signal to the markets. Beijing’s takeover of the sector was notably marked by drastic restrictions imposed on players under the age of 18. Their online play time is now limited to three hours per week, which weighs heavily on the profitability of companies in the sector.