China seemingly drops proposed gaming restrictions that could have had worldwide implications for loot boxes, microtransactions and daily log-in bonuses
Jan. 24, 2024The rules were to discourage obsessive gaming behavior
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China’s previously proposed gaming restrictions seem to have been scrapped, potentially avoiding worldwide implications for tools that can encourage spending excessive time and money on games.
While these latest rules were only passed in China, there was a strong possibility that their effect would be felt on a far wider scale. Many games rely on daily logins and luck-based microtransactions, so removing them from a single market would be complex, but also costly - China is a massive market that developers are increasingly keen to tap into. There was some feeling that a move made by China to outlaw these mechanics would lead to their removal from some games entirely, which would then have a financial effect on the rest of the industry.
Following the reveal of the latest restrictions, China-based gaming companies, including Tencent and NetEase, saw their share prices drop, wiping billions off their combined share values. Although it’s not been confirmed whether these rules have been scrapped entirely, the companies' shares have reportedly jumped back up, shortly after the website removed the page on January 23, according to the BBC.
Speaking of China’s gaming giants, earlier this weekTencent unveiled its own World of Warcraft rival. This is thought to be partly due to World of Warcraft developer Blizzard’s public falling out with publisher NetEase which has caused the MMORPG to be shut down in the country.
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After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training. My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I’m also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.
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