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China relaxes video gaming rules, as Guangdong allows testing of pre-licensed titles
- Video game publishers based in southern Guangdong province can test new titles via certain app stores before getting approval from the NPPA
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Ann Caoin Shanghai
China’s southern Guangdong province now allows local video gaming firms to test new titles via certain app stores before a licence is granted by Beijing, which marks an easing of strict industry regulations.
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Video gaming publishers based in the province have been allowed since the start of this month to test games before getting approval from the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA), according to a new, province-specific rule unveiled earlier this month by trade group Guangdong Entertainment & Game Industry Association.
This initiative aims to “solve the actual difficulties faced by online game companies in testing their products”, the trade group had said. Video game publishers are only required to register in advance with the province’s Press and Publication Bureau. The “app platforms in the province” that can be used to test new games were not identified.
The rule appears to provide an advantage to Shenzhen-based Tencent Holdings, which runs the world’s largest video gaming business by revenue and operates super app WeChat. Guangdong is also home to some of China’s largest smartphone vendors that run their own app stores, including Huawei Technologies, Oppo, Vivo and Honor.
Video gaming firms on the mainland must obtain a licence from the NPPA to publish new titles – covering products created for smartphones, gaming consoles and personal computers – before these are released in the market.
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