Fifth Time's A Charm
Dutch antirust regulator serves Apple fifth $5.7 million fine
ACM claims Apple's suggestions are "unnecessary and unreasonable"
Vamoosed
FIFA Mobile pulled from Vietnamese app stores
"Local regulations issues" lead to complete service shutdown
Under Observation
PG Connects London: The regulations surrounding free-to-play
Wiggin associate Isabel Davies talks the changes in regulation that affect the monetisation and marketing of F2P
Pg Connects London
Can't make PG Connects London? Check out what our speakers have been discussing
F2P regulations, off-trend games, and raising investment in your studio among hundreds of topics
Pg Connects London
Road to Connects London: Wiggin's Isabel Davies on F2P regulations
Wiggin LLP's Isabel Davies presents a sneak-peak into her PG Connects talk on F2P regulations
Power Restored
Tencent has app capabilities reinstated following ban
App updates spotted on App Store
Marketplace Dominance
Apple and Google hold a "vice-like grip" on UK consumers, says competition regulator
Suggests actions to decrease the mobile marketplace duopoly
Tencent Suspension
China suspends Tencent from updating or launching apps in Mainland China
Apps and games remain functional
Domestic Disappointment
Tencent's international game revenue up 20% but local restrictions hit domestic growth
International revenues spurred by Clash of Clans and Valorant
Circumventing Regulations
Chinese websites already allowing kids to avoid age-time restrictions
Rent Honor of Kings accounts from $5 for two hours
Joyless Juveniles
China’s youth criticise government’s new regulations
Teens took to Weibo to voice frustrations
Clamping Down
China limits under 18s to three hours online gaming a week
New regulations prevent minors from playing games Monday through Thursday
Big Brother Is Watching
Tencent forewarns of increased regulations and restrictions in China
The company expressed intent to remain fully compliant with future regulations
Cracking Down
Tencent stock falls by $60 billion following criticism from state media
Honor of Kings set to be implemented with new constraints
Game On
Chinese games regulators gave approval to 1,411 games last year
1,311 were domestic games while 97 were imported
China Regulations
Will China’s new regulations push game publishers towards other emerging markets?
Nativex general manager Tiffany Ou looks at what's to come
China Isbn
China App Store ISBN License: non-compliant games risk being delisted
Yodo1 offers its advice and expertise
Regulatory Brawl
Supercell pulls games out of Vietnam in face of regulations
Likes of Clash of Clans, Clash Royale and Brawl Stars no longer playable in the country
Region Focus
Region Focus: How China’s big game freeze has made local developers more internationally minded
“It has been a battle to survive the approvals drought and studios have had to get creative”
New Policies
Google Play developers must now disclose loot box odds
Details surrounding “randomised virtual items” must be clearly shown
The Bell Tolls
Nintendo pulling Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp in Belgium amidst loot box concerns
Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will be taken offline in August
News Analysis
US senator introduces bill to ban loot boxes in games played by children
“Social media and video games prey on user addiction, siphoning our kids’ attention from the real world and extracting profits from fostering compulsive habits"
The Debate Continues
Germany considering new minor protections laws against loot boxes and mobile monetisation
The state of Bavaria has proposed new guideline citing the “exploitation of the inexperience and credulity of adolescents”
Game For Peace?
Tencent shuts down PUBG Mobile in China
Replaces with new, similar battle royale title Game for Peace that has received government approval
Chinese Regulations
Loot box design 2.0: Complying with China's new rules
The Yodo1 team discusses the latest changes and offers help on figuring out your best strategy for legal monetisation in the country
Korea
South Korean FTC will carry out an “extensive review” of consumer regulations
The antitrust body wants to combat games taking advantage of children spending money they don't have
China Regulations
China’s games regulator resumes new submission approvals as it continues through backlog
The State Administration of Press and Publication details the new regulatory landscape for games developers and publishers
China
Tencent extends its digital lock age cap to 16 in China
Under-16s will now require parental consent and be limited to two hours play a day
Foreign Games Too
China’s games regulator approves nearly 100 new games including Game of Thrones and Angry Birds
Bringing the total for new games in 2019 up to 987
Licensing Royale
NetEase gets the jump on Fortnite and Tencent as FortCraft is approved for China launch
95 games receive licence for release
Locked Down
Tencent applies digital lock restriction for young Chinese players that requires parental consent to play games
Guardians need to unlock games for kids under the age of 12
Tencent Rules
Tencent brings in new broadcasting rules to police hurtful content across its products
These updates prohibit discussions or behaviour that could cause offence to the company’s home market of China
Game Freeze
China blocks new game approvals again as it strives to clear extensive backlog
As many as 5,000 games could be awaiting the greenlight
Frozen
As many as 6,000 games could be stuck in China's licensing backlog
The waiting list for those titles could be two-years also
Heating Up
China's backlog of new game approvals still holding up Tencent and NetEase
257 titles granted license for release since March 2018
China
China approves further 84 games as new regulatory body works its way through backlog of thousands
84 new games have passed China’s video game approvals system for the second time since the freeze ended
Chopping Block
Tencent culls games marketing budget as China’s freeze on the industry continues
Publisher plays conservatively as the block on new game approvals continues
Check
Tencent will soon require Chinese players to verify their identities against a police database
Publishing giant continues to try and appease a government looking to crack down on gaming addiction
The Big Freeze
"I don’t think the Chinese government is ready to lose its title as the world’s biggest games market"
Taptica division CEO Rivi Bloch discusses market expansion and the big freeze
Big Brother
Tencent tests facial recognition to restrict gameplay time in Honor of Kings
Chinese publisher wants to check identity and age of players
Banned
China bans games streaming platform Twitch
The ban comes after the site experienced a popularity spike
Guide To China
China's temporary games approval freeze - Your key questions answered
Niko Partners offers a complete breakdown of the current market situation in China and who it's likely to affect
Blurred Lines
European regulators claim “blurring of lines” between gambling and gaming in joint statement
"We have joined forces to call on video games companies to address the clear public concern around the risks gambling and some video games can pose to children"
Monetisation Blow
China's regulatory roadblocks stop most downloaded game PUBG Mobile from making money
Despite 100 million downloads and 50 million active users, there are no IAPs
China
It could take another four-to-six months for China to start approving new games again
Governmental restructure may see the region’s normally-booming market frozen for another half year.
China
China’s gaming crackdown pushes Tencent towards further age restrictions in Honor of Kings
As part of a government campaign to prevent myopia amongst children and reduce gameplay time
Jesus
Tencent's value plummets by $20bn after China dishes out new regulations on games
Company has lost $164bn in value since January
Restrictive Policies
China’s block on new game licenses could be coming to an end - but fresh regulations are incoming
Calls to restrict the number of new game releases
Banned
No end in sight as South Korean games companies locked out of China for over a year
No signs of issues being resolved
Games Suspended
China hasn't approved any new mobile games since March 28th
Market sees single-digit growth in first half of the year, the slowest since at least 2009