China’s game-regulation mess is starting to hurt developers

The Chinese government has to approve every game that goes on sale in that country, which is a problem considering it hasn’t approved any new digital games since March 28 — that even includes games from domestic developers. This is going to cause a dearth of new releases in China later this year, according to research firm Niko Partners. But it is already hurting foreign developers and publishers right now. It is one more barrier to one of the world’s most lucrative and unwelcoming gaming markets.

China spends more money on games than any other country, including the United States, according to Niko. And it looks like it will continue to do so, but gaming fans in that country may have to focus on older releases.