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China's government bans the streaming of unapproved games

Another nail in the coffin for China's indies

China's government bans the streaming of unapproved games

China's Ministry of Culture has now banned the streaming of games not approved by SAPPRFT.

Previously, any game could be streamed in the country on platforms such as Douyu and Panda.tv. This allowed indies to build a following for their game before attempting the approval process.

However, all games must now be approved by SAPPRFT. The government body implemented the approval process in July 2016, which requires all games to be pre-approved 20 business days before launch.

Cracking down

The process is known to be difficult and expensive, with the government tightly cracking down on anything it deems offensive.

This includes using English words and phrases in the game, with a developer previously suggesting his game was rejected for the inclusion of words such as "mission start" and "warning".

It's also incredibly lengthy, with some developers being told they must wait up to four months before SAPPRFT will investigate the game.

[Source: Tech in Asia]


Editor

Ric is the Editor of PocketGamer.biz, having started out as a Staff Writer on the site back in 2015. He received an honourable mention in both the MCV and Develop 30 Under 30 lists in 2016 and refuses to let anyone forget about it.