China Regulations and Business Report: Launching a Game in Mainland China

What you’ll learn from this report:

China is the largest video game market in the world with over 720 million players and nearly $40 billion in revenue during 2020. Entering China is often seen as a daunting task for developers, due to the opaque regulatory landscape, yet some of the top games in China today are from developers outside the country including AAA titles such as League of Legends (Riot Games) and Call of Duty: Mobile (Activision Blizzard) as well as indie hits such as Don’t Starve (Klei Entertainment) and Human Fall Flat Mobile (Curve Digital).

This report is the central resource for understanding all of the regulations, agencies, and administrators that impact the industry. The report also details all of the content requirements, steps in the submissions process, and other requirements for launching a game in China. We have also included a section that helps developers understand all of their options for launching a game, how to choose the right partner and how to best negotiate with Chinese game publishers.

This is the second full report that we have released on China’s game regulations and approval process. China’s government has introduced regulations that have shaped the video game industry over the past two decades and it is now more important than ever for game companies to know how and what to expect when launching a game in the country. Especially as Chinese law requires all games to be approved before they can be officially monetized and distributed through official channels in China. Understanding these regulations is crucial in order to succeed in the market.

In addition to our own expertise, we have also drawn on the expertise of key publishers and individuals that are part of the games industry in Mainland China to help clients understand the whole picture. This report should be consulted before entering or expanding your video game business in China.

What’s included:

• Regulatory authorities in China’s video game industry
• Overview of China’s video game market
• Requirements to publish a game in China
• Checklist for foreign game developers
• Game content regulations
• Monetization and loot box regulations
• Game approval process
• Anti-addiction and real-name registration for minors
• Age rating systems
• Game approvals
• China’s new game evaluation and rating guidelines system
• Launching a game
• Finding the right partner
• Negotiating with Chinese game publishers
• Puts the extremely complex regulatory landscape into context, in English