China's Gaming Industry, Emerges From Devastating, 9-Month Freeze.<br />Kotaku reports that China has finally started <br />to issue new approvals for domestic games. .<br />Kotaku reports that China has finally started <br />to issue new approvals for domestic games. .<br />On April 11, China's National Press and Publication <br />Association approved 45 new titles, the first <br />to be permitted since last July. .<br />While this provides some relief for the Chinese games <br />industry overall, 14,000 other game companies <br />deregistered during the nine-month freeze. .<br />Kotaku reports that the freeze was <br />partly put in place due to more stringent <br />content restrictions on games for minors. .<br />The restrictions came after Chinese parents <br />argued that free-to-play mobile games were <br />negatively impacting their children's well-being. .<br />Tencent and Netease, two of China's biggest <br />gaming companies, lost $60 billion in stock value <br />as a result of those restrictions last September. .<br />Tencent and Netease, two of China's biggest <br />gaming companies, lost $60 billion in stock value <br />as a result of those restrictions last September. .<br />According to Kotaku, <br />China only hands out about <br />1,300 game licenses every year. .<br />The scarcity has created an extremely competitive <br />Chinese game industry where smaller developers struggle <br />to keep up with the changing regulatory landscape.<br />Larger studios have reportedly focused on producing <br />higher quality, story-rich experiences that have <br />a better chance of being awarded a license.
