游戏邦在:
杂志专栏:
gamerboom.com订阅到鲜果订阅到抓虾google reader订阅到有道订阅到QQ邮箱订阅到帮看

中国市场进一步收紧外国手机游戏的涌入

发布时间:2016-06-08 13:56:00 Tags:,,,

作者:Matthew Handrahan

打算面向中国市场发行游戏的开发者很快将面对另一层面的复杂问题,即全新的行政程序将致力于根除一些特定的内容。

国家新闻出版广电总局(SAPPRFT)所制定的全新程序开始担心那些不断涌入中国的国外媒体了。在今年3月份,SAPPRFT便开始打压外国公司或中外合资企业的在线内容的发布。

China market(from gamesindustry)

China market(from gamesindustry)

根据《纽约时报》的报道,这些全新规则将延伸到更广泛的在线内容中,当然其中也包括但也绝不局限于游戏。如今,任何想要在中国市场站稳脚跟的外国公司都必须选择与中国公司合作,并且也只能想办法去获得中国政府的认可。

中国律法专家同时也是宾州大学讲师的Jacques deLisle这么说道:“这是致力于阻隔外国或西方理念影响的一系列法律演变中的最新发展。这同时也是中国政府致力于控制网络和新媒体的更大行动中的一步。”

SAPPRFT所发布的针对游戏的全新法规似乎便这一大行动中的一步。根据亚洲科技的信息,全新规则将更加苛刻地对待那些“基于故事”的游戏,也就是那些更有可能包含政府所禁止的内容的游戏(游戏邦注:特别是以“政治和军事为主题”的内容)。

所有游戏(以及经过批准的应用和相关的授权与许可)在线上发行前都必须花至少20个工作日去完成整个递交受理过程。亚洲科技对此作出了具体的分析,首先经过省级机构的判定需要5天时间,然后需要花10天时间递交给SAPPRFT并等待受理,之后开发者还需要再等上几天才能接收到信息。

在被禁了15年之后,Xbox和PlayStation重新回归了中国市场,这也进一步解除了该市场对于这类型游戏内容的限制。在2014年1月的新闻发布会上,中国文化部部长蔡武说道:“我们不会允许那些对中国有敌意或者不符合中国政府规定的内容的进入。我们希望打开一扇窗户去呼吸一些新鲜空气,但同时我们也需要一扇屏风去阻隔苍蝇和蚊子。”

索尼首席执行官Andrew House在2015年9月认可了中国政府的限制立场,在PlayStation 4面向中国问世后他说道:“我们仍然在挑战着一直以来所面对的审查制度。这是一场旷日持久的战斗。”

当然了,中国市场的巨大诱惑源自其庞大的人口,并且这庞大的人口越来越沉迷于手机游戏的魅力—-这是快速发展的智能手机所掀起的一股趋势。中国的一大发行巨头网易在4年前的95%游戏收益都是来自PC游戏。而在今年年初接受GAmesIndustry的采访中,该公司表示在那之后两年他们的主要收益便是来自手机游戏了。

虽然中国被称为世界上最有价值的手机游戏市场,但是这里对于外国公司所设定的种种限制条件也让不少公司对巨大的投资能否赚到巨大收益感到怀疑。最近几个月出台的新政策将与中国发行商合作变成必要选择,同时也让更多外国开发者对什么类型的内容难以通过中国政府的批准更加困惑。

本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,拒绝任何不保留版权的转发,如需转载请联系:游戏邦

China tightens regulations around mobile games

By Matthew Handrahan

Developers seeking to publish their games in China will soon have to deal with an extra layer of complexity, in the form of a new administrative process designed to root out certain kinds of content.

The new procedure comes from the State Administration of Press, Publications, Radio, Film, and Television (SAPPRFT), which has grown increasingly concerned about the influx of foreign media into the country. In March this year, SAPPRFT cracked down on the publication of online content by foreign companies or joint Sino-foreign ventures.

According to a report in the New York Times, the new rules apply to a broad range of online content, including but by no means limited to games. Any foreign company seeking to gain a foothold in the market must now do so in partnership with a Chinese company, and only with government approval.

Jacques deLisle, an expert on Chinese law and a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, told the New York Times. “This is the latest in a series of legal changes that seek to restrict the influence of foreign or western ideas. And it’s also part of a larger attempt to exercise control over the Internet and new media.”

The new game-specific regulations laid out by the SAPPRFT seem to be an aspect of that broader move. According to Tech In Asia, which has translated the official documents, the rules are more strict for “story-based” games, which are more likely to contain material of which the Chinese government disapproves – “political and military topics” especially.

However, all games – as well as an “approval application, and the relevant licenses and permits” – must be submitted for a process that takes a minimum of 20 business days to complete before they can be published online. Tech In Asia’s breakdown lists a five-day assessment by provincial authorities to ensure the application is completed properly, then a ten-day submission to the SAPPRFT office where a decision is taken, then yet more time as the information is fed back to the developer.

The introduction of Xbox and PlayStation to China after the country’s 15 year ban on consoles was lifted brought with it restrictions on game content. At a press conference in January 2014, the head of the Chinese Ministry of Culture, Cai Wu, said, “things that are hostile to China, or not in conformity with the outlook of China’s government, won’t be allowed… We want to open the window a crack to get some fresh air, but we still need a screen to block the flies and mosquitoes.”

Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House acknowledged the government’s restrictive stance in September 2015. “We are still challenged somewhat with a censorship regime that we have to work with,” he said, in the aftermath of PlayStation 4′s Chinese launch. “This can be time consuming.”

The lure of China, of course, is the size of its population, and that population is increasingly enamoured of mobile games – a trend spurred on by the rapid uptake of smartphones. NetEase, one of China’s leading publishers, earned 95% of its games revenue from PC titles only four years ago. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz earlier this year, the company said that the majority of its revenue was coming from mobile just two years later.

Ultimately, while China is widely claimed to be the world’s most valuable market for mobile games, the restrictions placed on foreign companies raise significant questions over whether the investment required will lead to a significant return. The new regulations laid out in recent months have made the once advisable strategy of ceding control to a local publisher a fundamental necessity, while also adding yet more uncertainty around exactly which kinds of content the Chinese government will not tolerate.(source:gamesindustry)

 


上一篇:

下一篇: