In China, one of those responsible for monitoring the video game industry loses his position to limit losses linked to a new regulatory project. A sign, perhaps, of a relaxation of restrictive measures, after the plunge in the sector’s stock values last month.
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From our correspondent in Beijing,
Feng Shixin is the man of lost billions for the gaming industry. Dismissal, as indicates the Reuters agencyor resignation, as reports the South China Morning Post, author of the revelations. What is certain is that the head of the publications office of the Communist Party’s central propaganda department has left his post.
Spiritual opium
However, since 2018, it is precisely the propaganda office which has regained control of the regulation of the sector and multiplied the measures aimed at control access to online games for minors in particular and, more generally, to reframe digital giants.
Result: in 5 years, China has adopted a system for controlling qualified video games. of spiritual opium » among the most sophisticated in the world. A war against screen addiction which ended up causing the markets to plummet.
Ending games gacha
The new package of measures announced before Christmas caused the giants of the sector, such as Tencent and NetEase, to lose $80 billion. The project of putting an end to games says “ gacha » which encourage players to spend virtual or real currency in exchange for accessories or characters in a system similar to a lottery. A departure which also takes place in a more conciliatory climate.
The regulator approved the sale of 105 games in December and Chinese President Xi Jinping was at the launch of the Hangzou Asian Games, where video games featured for the first time in the official competition.