China’s press and publication regulator the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, has issued new rules on applications for publishing online games in China, signaling a possible acceleration in the handing out of formal approvals, said Reuters.
China stopped granting licenses to monetize online games in March 2018, hurting the industry and developers such as Tencent Holdings Ltd and NetEase Inc. Approvals began being granted again in December, only to then have local governments pause application submission in February.
Under the released guidelines, games will undergo content vetting and the number of games allowed onto the market will be controlled.
Gaming market research and consulting firm Niko Partners said the administration would take new submissions from Monday, April 22, under the new application process.