China cuts off special approvals for new games
A stopgap process is reportedly no longer an option for game companies.
China is making it increasingly challenging for game companies to bring new titles to the market.
Chinese regulators reportedly have shut down the last official path for companies to bring new games into the country.
The government this month stopped granting licenses through the "green channel," which it used to test games and see how players reacted prior to the official approval process, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources.
Companies like Tencent, which was trying to bring Fortnite: Battle Royale to China, used this method to buoy profits in the $38 billion market for a brief window during a licensing freeze on new games, which started in August.
The freeze also created a gray market where Chinese game companies have been selling their publishing licenses for up to 500,000 yuan ($72,000), Bloomberg noted, and gamers have been able to play unlicensed titles via Steam. Those games are available on servers outside China.
The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism couldn't be reached, and Tencent didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Also in August, China's education ministry announced a plan to regulate new games and online time to cut down near-sightedness in children.
