80 Games Approved After Lifting of Chinese Game Freeze

Just before Christmas, China’s State Administration of Press and Publications (SAPP) announced that it was lifting a month-long freeze on new video game approvals, which came as a relief to many. The authority has now released a list of 80 games that it has approved, which includes six PC games, six browser games, one PlayStation VR game, and 67 mobile games. Notably absent from the list are Tencent titles.

One of the leading companies in the video games industry, Tencent lost $160 billion in value in 2018, thanks in part to various regulatory restrictions. In August alone, the company lost $20 billion in value after China announced that it planned to combat myopia in children by restricting the amount of video games being released in the market, and limiting the number of hours played.

Tencent’s management was understandably happy when the freeze was finally lifted.

“This is decidedly inspiring news for the entire industry,” said the company. “It affirms the regulators’ determination to promote positive and standardized management, and set the direction for the entire cultural industry.”

SAPP head Feng Shixin recently said that the authority is working through its backlog to approve games so it’s possible that Tencent – an investor in games like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite – will hear some good news soon.

In case you’re wondering about the lone PS VR game that was approved, it’s Animal Force (apparently called Human Rescue Project in China, according to ResetEra user Blade Wolf). The tower defense title released in the West in July this year.

[Source: Reuters via The Verge, Bloomberg, ResetEra]