In China, the issuance of licenses to all new online games has been temporarily suspended. This step is explained by the desire of the authorities to defeat gambling addiction among the young population.
This is reported by Reuters with reference to the South China Morning Post.
The decision to freeze was announced at a meeting of Chinese officials with industrial giants Tencent and NetEase. It is unclear how long the freeze will last.
In recent months, the Chinese authorities have increasingly criticized the gaming sector. For example, in August, an anti-gambling campaign swept through a number of state media, in which they were called “spiritual opium”.
The Chinese authorities also advocate restrictions on the sector. In particular, some officials of the Celestial Empire recently proposed to deprive local gaming companies of tax benefits.
Moreover, industry-beating initiatives are already being introduced in the country. Since September, Chinese authorities have limited the time that children and teenagers can spend in online video games to three hours a week.
The suspension of the issuance of licenses, without which no game can enter the local market, seems quite expected in the described series of events.
Earlier, the Chinese authorities have already taken this step. From March to December 2018, no game could get approval for release. Then it was officially connected with the redistribution of responsibilities between ministries.