Mingzhen Li is the founder and CEO of Playful Digital, which offers market entry methods for launching and rising worldwide gaming titles in China.
For years, breaking into China’s gaming market has meant coping with uncertainty, lengthy processes, and strict guidelines, however a new policy from Shanghai may lastly provide worldwide developers a quicker, clearer approach in.
In early July, the Shanghai authorities introduced a sequence of measures to help software program and digital content material industries. One a part of the policy has drawn explicit consideration: a three-year pilot programme that permits foreign video games made in Shanghai to be handled as home video games when making use of for licenses.
For worldwide studios with groups in Shanghai, this could imply avoiding a few of the hardest regulatory challenges in the world’s largest gaming market.
Opening the license wall
To grasp why this issues, it is necessary to know the way game publishing works in China. Each game – whether or not cell, PC or console – wants an ISBN, which is a publishing license, earlier than it may formally launch in the nation. No ISBN means no launch on Chinese language platforms, and no monetization.
This technique has been one among the largest hurdles for foreign developers. Approval occasions are sometimes gradual and unpredictable. Some video games wait for months, even years. Many studios have merely given up attempting.
Presently, PC video games can generally keep away from this by releasing on Steam’s worldwide platform, which Chinese language gamers can nonetheless entry. However for cell video games, no ISBN means no itemizing on the iOS China App Retailer or any native Android shops – so there is no such thing as a authorized method to attain gamers.
A sign of change
Operating from July 2025 to June 2028, Shanghai’s pilot programme is a part of a broader plan by the metropolis to develop its digital content material business. It encourages foreign developers to construct groups in Shanghai, and in return, these video games will be handled like home video games when making use of for a license.
This is the present actuality: in 2024, China authorized 1,306 video games. Solely 110 have been foreign titles – that is lower than 9%. In 2025, to this point 757 home video games have bought license approval, in comparison with 55 worldwide titles.
Foreign video games undergo a slower, extra difficult course of with tighter content material checks
Foreign video games undergo a slower, extra difficult course of with tighter content material checks. Home video games normally get quicker selections and profit from a bigger quota of licenses. This policy could assist foreign studios skip that additional layer of purple tape, if their video games are developed regionally in Shanghai.
Large corporations like Riot Video games, Ubisoft, Supercell, EA, and 2K already have groups in Shanghai. This policy offers them a new edge, and could make Shanghai not only a good place to construct video games, however a robust gateway to the Chinese language market.
Why this issues now
In the quick time period, the policy could assist velocity up localization, approval, and launch for worldwide titles in China. Studios that have been hesitant to enter China might now see a greater probability of success.
In the long run, it would even change how publishers plan their game growth. With rising prices and saturation in western markets, Shanghai – with its rising expertise pool and extra open policy – could change into a greater choice for creating video games from scratch, not simply porting them.
At the nationwide degree, there are indicators of progress too. Licensing approvals are choosing up velocity once more, and Shanghai’s transfer suggests a extra open, sensible angle in the direction of working with foreign developers.
What’s subsequent
In fact, the particulars nonetheless matter. How the policy is carried out and the way completely different departments work collectively will determine whether or not this turns into a significant turning level or simply one other native experiment.
However one factor is evident: that is the most encouraging policy for foreign developers in China in years, and the Chinese language gaming market is progressively opening up.
That is the most encouraging policy for foreign developers in China in years
In case your studio already has a staff in Shanghai, now may be the greatest time to formally get the license and launch your game – arrange native servers, publish on native platforms, and open the door to new enterprise alternatives.
If you happen to’re nonetheless exploring the market, there’s nonetheless plenty of room to develop by means of PC platforms even with out a license. You may launch on Steam and begin constructing your model and neighborhood by operating advertising and marketing campaigns on Chinese language social media platforms, which might nonetheless create robust engagement with native gamers.
However in case you’re a cell game developer wanting for a quicker approach by means of the licensing course of, Shanghai may be the most promising path ahead.