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How Apple is allowing gamers in China to play Grand Theft Auto
Loopholes in the system and Steam's grey market: A crash course in how games are bought (and sold) in China
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This article originally appeared on ABACUS
If you want to do business in China, you have to play by China’s rules. The gaming industry is no exception.
Plenty of games have been blocked from sale in China. Sometimes it’s because of content: The gore and nudity of the Grand Theft Auto go against guidelines banning games with obscenity, violence and drugs. And sometimes it’s a bureaucratic snafu, like the case of Monster Hunter: World -- caught up in an organizational mess that means no games have officially been approved for sale since March.
Oh, and only Chinese companies can apply for licenses -- so any foreign game companies have to partner with a local company if they want to sell their games in China.
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But that doesn’t mean literally zero games have appeared in China since March. Turns out, despite the all-powerful reach of the authorities, there are other ways for people to get their games.
Apple’s loophole
You know how I said Grand Theft Auto isn’t available in China? Officially speaking, it’s not available on PC or console. But GTA San Andreas is on the iPhone.
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