[Updated]China set to ban gacha games from compulsive gambling practices (official in charge has been removed)

[Playstation Sucka]

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-issues-draft-rules-online-game-management-2023-12-22/

Online games need to set spending limits and ban daily login rewards, according to the draft rules released by the National Press and Publication Administration on Friday.

The draft rules also proposed banning large tips for rewards to player who livestream their games and prohibits online games from offering probability-based luck draw features to minors.

Online game approvals are required to be processed by regulators within 60 days, according to the draft, adding that game publishers are required to store servers within China.





Update: the official in charge has been removed

reuters link

HONG KONG, Jan 2 (Reuters) - China removed an official at a government body overseeing its press and publications regulator, five sources who were briefed on the matter said, days after Chinese gaming stocks were hit by proposed rules to curb spending on video games.

Feng Shixin was removed last week from his position as head of the publishing unit of the Communist Party's Publicity Department, the sources said. The department oversees the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) which in turn regulates China's vast video games sector.

China's State Council Information Office, which handles media queries on behalf of the Chinese government, including on personnel matters, did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Reuters was unable to obtain Feng's contact details to reach him for comment.

The five sources said Feng's removal was linked to rules the NPPA announced last month that sent stocks in the world's largest video games sector, including industry giant Tencent (0700.HK), plunging.

The sources declined to be identified as authorities had yet to officially announce Feng's departure.

 

[JAHGamer]

Rare China W

 

[Neversummer]

Aren’t chinese publishers gonna get hit hard by these changes? Won’t hoyoverse be massively hit financially? China seems like a risky & potentially unstable market to invest yet has a massive potential, wonder if this will make chinese publisher to merge or seek a major investor with a company outside china to ensure they can have some sort of stability the fact chinese government can essentially snap there finger & hold your feet to mud so dramatically scary stuff

 

[anonpuffs]

Taken from reddit/translation of Chinese language tweet:






NBC article:

Tencent, NetEase shares plummet on new China online gaming guidelines​

PUBLISHED FRI, DEC 22 202312:20 AM

• Tencent shares tumbled by as much as nearly 15.7%, while NetEase plunged by as much as 28%
• Beijing released draft guidelines aimed at curbing incentives that could lead to excessive gaming and spending.

Tencent and NetEase shares plunged on Friday after Beijing released draft guidelines aimed at curbing incentives that could lead to excessive gaming and spending.
China’s National Press and Publication Administration released the new draft guidelines during the mid-morning Friday trade, sinking the Hong Kong-listed shares of the two Chinese companies.

Tencent tumbled as much as 15.7% to HK$263.60 before paring losses to trade down about 12.7% in mid-afternoon trade, still its lowest since end-November 2023.
NetEase sank by as much as 28% to HK$117.30, breaking briefly below a key technical support offered by a February low at around HK$120.70. In mid-afternoon trade, NetEase shares pared losses to trade down about 20% at HK$129.
This compares with the 1.2% loss on the Hang Seng Index and the 1.8% slide on the China Enterprises Index of the largest offshore mainland blue-chip names listed in Hong Kong.
Tencent and NetEase are two of the largest developers and operators of popular online games in the world’s largest online gaming market.

 

[JAHGamer]

there's already a post on this

China publishes draft regulations on online games, requiring spending limits; banning gacha for minors, etc.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-issues-draft-rules-online-game-management-2023-12-22/ Online games need to set spending limits and ban daily login rewards, according to the draft rules released by the National Press and Publication Administration on Friday. The draft rules also...

icon-era.com

 

[Gods&Monsters]

That's terrible. Genshin needs to sell everything to Sony so the company is not Chinese anymore.

 

[anonpuffs]

there's already a post on this

China publishes draft regulations on online games, requiring spending limits; banning gacha for minors, etc.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-issues-draft-rules-online-game-management-2023-12-22/ Online games need to set spending limits and ban daily login rewards, according to the draft rules released by the National Press and Publication Administration on Friday. The draft rules also...

icon-era.com

oh, didn't see it since i have that poster on ignore

 

[TubzGaming]

Threads Merged

 

[shrike0fth0rns]

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-issues-draft-rules-online-game-management-2023-12-22/

Online games need to set spending limits and ban daily login rewards, according to the draft rules released by the National Press and Publication Administration on Friday.

The draft rules also proposed banning large tips for rewards to player who livestream their games and prohibits online games from offering probability-based luck draw features to minors.

Online game approvals are required to be processed by regulators within 60 days, according to the draft, adding that game publishers are required to store servers within China.

This will only push Tencent and Netease to become more aggressive outside of China and will hurt companies like Microsoft who want to expand in China also especially with mobile. Abk deal no looking as good in hindsight. Xbox has gotten worse and now how they planned to leave rage abk in markets like china is pretty much dead in the water.

 

[shrike0fth0rns]

That's terrible. Genshin needs to sell everything to Sony so the company is not Chinese anymore.

Why would they? This is only for the Chinese market it would still business as usual over seas and if they sold to Sony those restrictions in China wouldn’t go away it would be the same thing.

 

[Vertigo]

Looks like I’m buying more NetEase shares today

 

[Box]

Rare China W

A lot more things get done when you have a dictatorship, no useless redtape,no lobbies,no bureaucracy,no special interest groups and no election every 4 years.

 

[avenovah]

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-issues-draft-rules-online-game-management-2023-12-22/

Online games need to set spending limits and ban daily login rewards, according to the draft rules released by the National Press and Publication Administration on Friday.

The draft rules also proposed banning large tips for rewards to player who livestream their games and prohibits online games from offering probability-based luck draw features to minors.

Online game approvals are required to be processed by regulators within 60 days, according to the draft, adding that game publishers are required to store servers within China.

I don't understand why Sony is launching initiatives in China. Why not South Korea and Japan? Stable countries.

 

[Playstation Sucka]

I don't understand why Sony is launching initiatives in China. Why not South Korea and Japan? Stable countries.

Genshin impact is the reason the economy is unstable there no idea when the balloon pops

 

[Vertigo]

I don't understand why Sony is launching initiatives in China. Why not South Korea and Japan? Stable countries.

They are making those partnerships tho w/ Korean studios now. China investment is the long haul strategy I’d think tho. I mean… it’s China. Huge and potentially biggest market to tap.

The pay off working with companies in growing Asian markets is going to be huge. Sony is ahead of the game here.

 

[Snes nes]

As nice as this sounds I don’t think this will happen. They tend to just not have any real direction with their legislation and they profit from mtx to begin with. I like the decision but I‘m certain it’s not going to happen.

 

[Nhomnhom]

I remember I quit WoW permanently once they introduced daily quests, the mechanic was there to punish players that were not able to log every day to do their chores. Terrible/evil game design.

I hate all these games that are just abusive and show no respect for their players and unfortunately at this point that is what most online games amount to.

MS rewards is similar, modern day slavery for a few cents and has destroyed the few brain cells green rats still had.

 

[John Elden Ring]

Tencent's stock crashed 16% in minutes as China announces guidelines

 

[shrike0fth0rns]

As nice as this sounds I don’t think this will happen. They tend to just not have any real direction with their legislation and they profit from mtx to begin with. I like the decision but I‘m certain it’s not going to happen.

the ccp has golden shares in many of chinas big companies including tencent. So hurting their bottom line wouldn’t be in their interest but the only think the ccp loves more than money is control and gaming is a threat to that and they were cracking down on gaming although Covid it just wasn’t enshrined in strict legislation. So maybe this is a chance maybe not.

 

[Evilnemesis8]

This isn't the first time the CCP has said they were going to do something like that, although this time it looks more serious, so I'll just wait until the bill ACTUALLY passes.