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It will soon be the end of March, at least for now, and the chances of issuing a version number in March are unlikely. Since the release of the latest batch of editions at the end of July last year, the editions have been suspended for 8 months so far, which is roughly equivalent to the suspension time of the 2018 editions (9 months), and the freeze time of this round of editions is likely to exceed 2018.
During this period, the game approval authorities spoke more cautiously, and in the interviews with game manufacturers, it was still "juvenile anti-addiction" and "content red line", and there was almost no comment on the restoration of the version number.
Whenever there is such a difficult time, all kinds of gossip can always be heard. Some people even said conclusively that "no game version number will be issued during the year". Looking back at the rumors of the version number since 2018, most of them are nonsense. Some are even false news released in the secondary market with ulterior motives.
01
Outrageous rumors of 2018
The silence and caution of the game authorities have given the rumors room to ferment, and such things have been repeatedly staged in 2018.
After the institutional reform of the State Council in 2018, the press and publication functions of the former State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, which was responsible for the approval of games, were transferred to the unified leadership of the Central Propaganda Department, and the approval of game version numbers was suspended without warning. Since then, during the 9-month period of empty version numbers, there have been various statements, including rumors that there will be no version numbers in the future.
The rumor that impressed the game teahouse the most was a widely sent anonymous email.
This anonymous email mainly revealed that Tencent's two hot chicken-eating games at that time, "Stimulating the Battlefield" and "All Army Attack", could not get the version number and would be removed from the shelves within a month or two. Tencent Xinyou cannot enjoy the chicken game dividend, and the growth of the game business next year is hopeless. He also threatened to say that "the darkest hour of the game industry is still ahead".
The Game Teahouse also received the anonymous email at the time
Looking back, the anonymous email was revealed to be half-truths and half-truths. It is really "Stimulating the Battlefield" and "All Army Attack" that did not get the version number, and it is also true that Tencent is developing a new chicken eating game. However, the removal of "Stimulating the Battlefield" and "All Army Attack" within a few months was fake, the inability to transfer chicken users was fake, and the game of eating chicken could not be monetized was even more fake (at that time, PUBG Mobile had begun to commercialize overseas).
In fact, after the launch of "Peace Elite", Tencent's mobile game revenue continued to run wildly, from 77.8 billion yuan (2018) to 164.8 billion yuan (2021), with a compound annual growth rate of 28.43%. Obviously, this anonymous email is to use some of the industry information that is yes and no, to create panic by exaggerating negative effects, in order to affect the stock price of the secondary market and achieve the purpose of shorting Tencent.
Similar tactics have been repeated this year, and the means have become more sophisticated.
02
The version number is not issued this year?
At the end of February this year, the market rumors that the game version number will not be released for the year. Some media even quoted the owner of a game company as commenting, "In 2022, there will be no new game version numbers, which is the biggest bearish, and we have known about them before the Spring Festival." ”
There were also rumors on the same day that Tencent would be hit by a "heavy hammer", and it was an "unprecedented heavy hammer". Affected by these rumors, Tencent's stock price fell by the most by 10% on the same day.
Zhang Jun, public relations director of Tencent, dismissed the rumors
However, these rumors still caused a lot of shock in the game circle, and practitioners felt a little panic. Although the Game Work Committee came forward at night to appease the emotions, it is a pity that it is not the competent department after all, and it is impossible to completely falsify the rumor that "there is no version number within the year".
So when exactly will the version number be restored?
A publisher, A, told Game Teahouse that they don't think distribution will resume until July. In other words, the version number will be suspended for a full year. But another publisher is more optimistic, expecting a version to be issued in May this year.
A said that the root cause of the suspension of the version number is that the game manufacturers have not implemented the anti-addiction measures for minors before, and there is a situation of discounted execution, or no implementation at all. The competent authorities were not satisfied with the game manufacturers' self-examination and self-correction progress, so they suspended the approval of the version number again.
The leaders of the game authorities are more concerned about whether the game content is healthy, whether the anti-addiction measures are strictly implemented, and whether the game manufacturers have violations of laws and regulations. The competent authorities believe that the suspension of the version number will not bring any changes to the competitive landscape of the domestic game industry, and objectively will promote game manufacturers to improve the quality of games, expand overseas markets, and eliminate some game manufacturers who have changed skins and low quality.
But the version number will definitely be issued this year. At the publishing work conference at the beginning of the year, the relevant person in charge of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television said that the focus of this year's work is to launch a number of "high-quality online games with distinct main themes and positive energy".
03
Two-dimensional, cyberpunk-themed games do not issue edition numbers?
Non also!
Previously, it was rumored on the pulse that the two-dimensional game and the cyberpunk-themed game could not get the version number through the review, and it was also specifically pointed out that the national wind two-dimensional "can still kill and kill".
This rumor seems to be very credible in the context of lilith, Mu Hitomi and other big factories cutting the two-dimensional project.
The game tea house consulted the publisher about this, and the reply was that it had "not received any relevant notice" and said that it still received these types of game materials normally.
Another publisher, B, told Game Teahouse that the focus of the review is on whether the game has problematic values and will not be one-size-fits-all for the game genre.
"Now the game and the publishing house are bound to life, what problems occur in the follow-up operation of the game, the publishing house is also to be held responsible" B analysis believes that the statement that the two-dimensional game cannot obtain the version number may originate from other publishing houses, "Some small publishing houses in order to avoid trouble, directly self-code, do not pre-review the two-dimensional or cyberpunk theme games." ”
In fact, this situation also happens in the Three Kingdoms theme game. There have always been rumors in the industry that there are too many Three Kingdoms games to get version numbers, and indeed many publishing houses directly tell game manufacturers that "Three Kingdoms games cannot be approved." But in fact, the Three Kingdoms game version number is also issued normally. Both Dachang's "Romance of the Three Kingdoms Strategy Edition" and the independent studio's "Hegemony at the End of the Han Dynasty" were approved after the 2019 edition was restored.
Game Teahouse also learned that the two-dimensional projects of many game manufacturers are still under development and have not been affected by rumors. And Lilith and other manufacturers cut the two-dimensional project, more or more closely related to the game does not meet expectations.
04
Things are changing, too
Last Wednesday (16), the Financial Commission of the State Council held a meeting to study the current economic situation. Liu He, vice premier of the State Council, pointed out at the meeting that relevant departments should earnestly assume their responsibilities, actively introduce policies that are beneficial to the market, and prudently introduce contractionary policies. Respond to hot issues of market concern in a timely manner.
Perhaps the management also realized that the silence of the business authorities gave room for rumors to ferment, which was not conducive to the formation of stable expectations in the market and was not conducive to stable economic growth.
It is believed that after last week's high-level meeting, the game authorities will also give new trends in the relevant version numbers as soon as possible to stabilize the anxious hearts of practitioners.
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