China gaming crackdown: revenue, user base shrink for first time under harsh regulations, slowing economy

Total revenue generated by Chinese video gaming companies and the number of gamers in the country both fell in the first half of 2022. The slowdown comes after the Chinese government implemented some of the world’s toughest regulations on video gaming. — SCMP

Total revenue generated by Chinese video gaming companies and the number of gamers in the country both fell in the first half of 2022 from a year ago, marking their first decline since data became available in 2008, according to a report published by the country’s semi-official gaming association.

The combined revenue in China’s video gaming market decreased 1.8%, while the number of gamers fell slightly to 665.69 million at the end of June from 666.57 million in December, the Game Publishing Committee of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association said in a report released at an industry conference on Thursday in Shaoxing, a city in eastern Zhejiang province.