DigitalBattle.com » china

China bans WoW

James Hyde — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:47:04 +0000

The Chinese publisher NetEase, which has been running World of Warcraft in the country, has been ordered by the General Administration of Press and Publications (GAPP) to stop charging players and to block further signups for the game. GAPP, which recently shut down as many as 200 MMOs, cited “illegal behavior” in WoW, while China’s Ministry of Culture has said the GAPP’s ban was “inappropriate”. Seems like politics will be digging deeper into this issue.

China bans foreign investments in games

James Hyde — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:40:07 +0000

Following the ban of dozens of online games, the Chinese communist regime has bannedall foreign investments in games, whether they are through joint-ventures with Chinese firms, or wholly owned companies. The Chinese General Administration of Press and Publication, which put in the ban, estimates that the Chinese online game market is worth $4 billion annually. No reason to give parts of that to pesky foreigners, apparently. What’s even more ludicrous, is that foreign technology companies are banned from even exporting their tech to China, for instance, game engine makers. So if you were looking for some Unreal Engine 3 powered Chinese games, you’re outta luck.

China cracking down on online gamers

James Hyde — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:49:19 +0000

The Chinese aren’t known for being the “freest” nation in the world, far from actually, but in terms of online gaming, there’s a huge culture with millions of dedicated players, despite the Internet restrictions. The Chinese government says that online games are “unhealthy”, and a recent crackdown resulted in 45 online games being banned and taken offline. So far, over 200 online games have been investigated, and more are likely to be banned in the future.

King of Fighters MMO announced, KOF World

Gibran Nawaz — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 20:23:52 +0000

Shanda Games and SNK Playmore will be developing a new spin-off of the King of Fighters franchise called KOF World. The game will essentially be King of Fighters XII on an online platform for the PC, except with the mix of MMORPG elements. The game will be exclusive to China for now, but there’s always a possibility that it will reach other parts of the world.

“We are very pleased to work with Shanda Games and very optimistic about the prospects of our partnership,” said Mr. Soichiro Hosoya, President of SNK Playmore. “We are honored that the KOF series has always been favored by Chinese game players, and KOF World is a game that we will work closely together with Shanda Games to develop, especially for Chinese players. We look forward to the game’s continued success.”

Final Fantasy 7 hits Japanese and Chinese PSN

Gibran Nawaz — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 01:55:36 +0000

Prior to any announcement at all, Sony has updated the Japanese and Chinese PlayStation Network with Final Fantasy 7 International. Square-Enix’s classic RPG can now be bought for ¥1500, or $15.

The International version of the game is the same version we saw in the original North American release, which had graphical fixes and an extra cut scene that were not included in the initial Japanese version.

There is no word about if the title will be coming to North America or Europe.

Read (DarkZero)

Chinese Online Game Market To Exceed $5.5 Billion In 2012

Will Prusik — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:50:29 +0000

In a time of economic downturn you see where people’s real priorities are. In the current global slump certain industries are struggling, especially the automotive industry. Yet others are continuing to flourish as people tighten their belts and restrict their spending. Despite the crunch many are feeling, restaurants continue to flourish; not only the low priced chain joints but gourmet restaurants are still drawing in crowds. No industry though can claim to be doing better than the video game industry.

It’s growing steadily and is getting a huge foothold in a substantial marketplace: China. In 2008 the online video games market in China grew by 63% to reach $2.8 billion. Analysts at Pearl Research are expecting this trend to continue, with a projected market of over $5.5 billion in the next four years. Industry members attribute much of this growth to the rising popularity of social networking sites which make it easier for users to be introduced to new games, which in turn gets them bringing their real-world friends on board.

The three most popular games are all of Asian origin, two being from Chinese companies and one a Korean company. World of Warcraft however holds a strong foothold on the market with one million users. Some might attribute the greater popularity of the other games over Western-world dominating WOW to cultural bias, but it seems some of the appeal of the other titles could be simply financial as all the other titles are less graphically intensive than WOW and thus require less computer upgrades.

New ‘Low Cost Console’ Announced For Emerging Markets

Will Prusik — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:57:34 +0000

Part of the reason the Wii sells so well is its low price tag. This makes it especially popular for countries where luxuries such as electronics are far more expensive. At the Game Developers Conference Qualcomm unveiled their own console offering that they hope will be able to corner the market on games in Brazil, Russia, India and China.

It’s called the Zeebo and it launches in Brazil in Early May/June 2009. The system is powered by Mobile chips so you can’t expect anything up to modern standards, but what the console lacks in processing power it makes up for in the sheer number of games. The console will have substantial third party support with over six hundred games being bundled in along with the inexpensive system, retailing at $199. There will be more games available via download, with thirty available at the launch and more to come.

The appeal they hope is that the cost of their games is very little more than the cost of pirated titles. Unfortunately outdated titles like Tekken 2, Quake (yes the original) and others aren’t very likely to beat out the appeal of shinier, flashier modern titles.

Chinese to Pay Tax on Virtual Currencies

Rajiv Ashrafi — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 19:09:05 +0000

Virtual currencies are pretty popular in China, with many even earning most of their income through online games. The Chinese government is responding to this by taxing those who make profits off these currencies.

Chinese citizens will now have to pony up a 20% personal income tax on said profits, with the Chinese Administration of Taxation noting that it “specifically takes aim at those who buy virtual currency from gamers and surfers and sell it to others at a mark-up.”

This tax will be applicable to individuals and not companies, though. The policy applies to gold farmers as well as web-based virtual currencies such as QQ Coins used in Tencent’s popular IM program.

4 Million Chinese Gamers Addicted to "Unhealthy" Games

Rajiv Ashrafi — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:00:59 +0000

AFP reports that over 4 million of China’s youth are addicted to what the state deems ‘unhealthy’ online games. The country is infamous for its game-playing citizens, quite a few of whom have been reported to have died from non-stop gameplay.

The 4 million represent ten percent of Chinese internet users under 18. While the term “unhealthy games” wasn’t detailed, it could refer to any online roleplaying game, including World of Warcraft, which is quite popular in the country.

The Chinese government is calling for hard-coded time limits in games and stricter content monitoring in games.