What just happened? China's government has always had a strained relationship with the video games industry, and it's got worse this year. Now, the country has formed an Online Games Ethics Committee, which objected to the first 20 titles it reviewed. According to the state-run China Central Television, via the South China Morning Post, the recently formed committee rejected nine games for publication outright, while asking for "controversial content" to be removed from the other 11, thereby eliminating "moral hazard."
China's State Administration of Radio and Television, which is in charge of monitoring games, has not issued licenses to any new titles since March 28 of this year, slowing growth in China's game industry to single figures for the first time in a decade. Back in August, Tencent stopped selling the PC version of Monster Hunter: World just days after launch following demands from regulators.
China's government, which is already known for censoring what its citizens see on the internet, has been clamping down on the online gaming industry, whose 500 million users make it the largest in the world. Concerns over violent content along with addiction and myopia among young people have led to more restrictions, as well as in-game spending and time limits placed on younger players. Additionally, Ubisoft recently altered parts of Rainbow Six: Siege to get it past the Chinese censors.
As China tightens its controls over online games, the companies behind them are feeling the effects. Tencent has seen its value drop by more than 20 percent this year, while shares in NetEase are down by 30 percent.
Update: Although there is no official public list of the 20 games reviewed by the new "game ethics" committee, a thread on Reddit is documenting the process and has translated information divulged on Chinese forums. Take this as a rumor, but we found it worthy enough to be shared here:
| Game | Cause | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|
| Arena of Valor (Tencent) | Overly revealing female characters, rewards given based on rank, distorted concepts of history and culture. | Corrective action |
| League of Legends (Riot) | Overly revealing female characters, rewards given based on rank, inharmonious chatroom. | Corrective action |
| Blade & Soul (NCSOFT) | Overly revealing female characters, inharmonious chatroom. | Corrective action |
| Chu Liu Xiang (NetEase) | Overly revealing female characters, inharmonious chatroom, game missions include fraud. | Corrective action |
| Overwatch (Blizzard) | Game visuals promote incorrect values, inharmonious chatroom. | Corrective action |
| Diablo (Blizzard) | Inharmonious chat, game missions include fraud. | Corrective action |
| World of Warcraft (Blizzard) | Overly revealing female characters, inharmonious chatroom. | Corrective action |
| Westward Journey (NetEase) | Overly revealing female characters, inharmonious chatroom, distorted concepts of history and culture. | Corrective action |
| Code: Eva (Tencent) | Rewards given based on rank, distorted concepts of history and culture. | Corrective action |
| The Legent of Mir 3 (WeMade) | Inharmonious chatroom. | Corrective action |
| Swords of Legends Online (Aurogon) | Inharmonious chatroom. | Corrective action |
| PlayerUnknown's Battleground (Bluehole) | Blood and gore. | Prohibited/Withdraw |
| Fortnite (Epic) | Blood and gore, vulgar content. | Prohibited/Withdraw |
| H1Z1 (Daybreak) | Blood and gore, vulgar content. | Prohibited/Withdraw |
| Alliance of Valiant Arms (Red Duck) | Blood and gore, vulgar content. | Prohibited/Withdraw |
| Ring of Elysium (Tencent) | Blood and gore, vulgar content. | Prohibited/Withdraw |
| Paladins (Hi-Rez) | Overly revealing female characters, blood and gore, vulgar content. | Prohibited/Withdraw |
| Free Fire Battlegrounds (Garena) | Overly revealing female characters, blood and gore, vulgar content. | Prohibited/Withdraw |
| Knives Out (NetEase) | Overly revealing female characters, blood and gore, vulgar content. | Prohibited/Withdraw |
| Quantum Matrix (NetEase) | Blood and gore, vulgar content, inharmonious chat | Prohibited/Withdraw |
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