China is levying a new video game-related ban in its region. The country's new PUBG: Battlegrounds ban is directed specifically at esports competitions, as the battle royale is the latest to be affected by restrictions in the territory. The ever-evolving PUBG has not yet been approved by China's National Press and Publication Administration (NAPP).
China has likely the most strict stance against video games in the world, and its regulations back it up. Recently, China imposed a law that would allow minors only three hours of online gaming per week, a rule that directly affects the likes of PUBG and its competitors. In the case of this new ban, PUBG itself is still allowed to be played in the country at this time, but esports competitions are now prohibited.
According to the Sports Business Journal, the Vice President of China Culture Management Association Esports Committee detailed the reason for the ban. Yibo Zhang says that PUBG not having yet been approved by the regulatory agency of China, the NAPP, is why the esports aspect of the battle royale is being shut down. Zhang said that the ban will affect organizers, teams, content creators, and more. At this point, the ban has not directly affected live streaming platforms (it may in the future), but PUBG competitions are the focus.
Recently the China Game Publication Committee revealed a convention involving 213 game publishers fighting online game addiction. Rules that do not allow minors to play online for long periods of time and regulations that shut down esports competition appear to be in line with what the committee may be thinking. This is also the same country that limited marriage gameplay in video games last year as well.
This ban will affect thousands of PUBG tournament organizers, teams, content creators, streamers, and professional players
It could also be that the bans are being put in place to hurt games and platforms outside of the China region, such as Steam and its biggest heavy-hitters--although China has not been afraid to self-regulate its video games in the past. It is important to note that Tencent owns a partial stake in PUBG and also is the developer behind the mobile version of PUBG. Tencent is located in China. The mobile version of the same battle royale in China is named Peacekeeper Elite and it seems to have not yet been impacted by the bans. It will be intriguing to see how these bans play out in the country with the largest population in the world. Players who enjoy competition and perhaps even count on winnings as a part of their livelihood cannot be happy about the changes.
PUBG: Battlegrounds is currently available on PC, PS4, Stadia, Xbox One, and mobile devices.
Source: SportsBusinessJournal