China’s video gaming control to get as strict as regulation of films and TV shows, game publisher founder says
- CMGE vice-chairman Hendrick Sin says China aims to carefully regulate video games because they are a channel for expressing ideology
- The Hong Kong-listed and Bilibili-backed company saw its share price tumble from its peak this year after Beijing kicked off its latest campaign on the gaming industry
China’s tightened regulation of video gaming content is going to be as harsh as its control of films and television shows, according to an executive at a major Chinese game company.
Hendrick Sin, executive director and vice-chairman of Hong Kong-listed CMGE Technology, told the South China Morning Post on Wednesday that Beijing’s message to gaming companies was clear: the list of “dos and don’ts” is about to get longer.
“That’s because video games are also an expression of ideology, the same as films and TV shows,” Sin said.
Beijing’s strict controls on the import of foreign titles makes the Chinese market hard to crack for Hollywood studios and streaming platforms such as Netflix and HBO, both unavailable in China.
Founded by Sin and his business partner Xiao Jian in 2009, Shenzhen and Hong Kong-based CMGE became the first Chinese mobile gaming company to list on the Nasdaq when it went public in 2012. The video game powerhouse went private in 2015 before relisting in Hong Kong in 2019.