A new draft of the new rules announced by China's official last week not only caused the stock price of major online game giants to fall, but also reminds the outside world the severe rectification against the technology industry in 2021.
China National Press and Publication Administration released online game management measures (draft draft for comments) (draft), of which two provisions were exploded on the Internet, which were seventeenArticle 18 and Article 18 "restrict the use of over -use and high consumption".
For the understanding of forbidden compulsory battle, the opinion draft is: "Online game publishing and operation units must not set up compulsory battle in online games."
As for the excessive use and high consumption of the game, the opinion draft wrote: "Online games must not set up daily login, first recharge, continuous recharge and other inductive rewards. Online game publishing and operation units must not be speculated, auction and other formsProvide or indulge in high -priced trading behavior of virtual props.
The WeChat public account "Tiger Sniff APP" described the article last Saturday (December 23) that "the first charging, exhaustion, and recharge are the lifeblood of the game.Stimulate the core card. "The article also mentioned that the opinion draft is equivalent to cutting off most of the low -cost methods of the game. The active user will be greatly reduced, and the game retention of the game the next day and the seven -day retention data will be very ugly.
In short, game companies will lose a large number of game users and the funds that these users are constantly investing.For game companies, this is undoubtedly a heavy punch.
As of the closing of last Friday, the stock price of Chinese online game giants listed in Hong Kong, Tencent and NetEase's stock price, fell 12.35%and 24.6%, respectively;At the game company, the stock price almost spared all the daily limit.
China is not the first shot
In the past 10 years, with the increasing popularity of online games and smartphone games, the Chinese government has begun to supervise the field.
In 2018, the regulatory authorities suspended the game version number for nine months, causing the gaming industry to enter the cold winter.The following year, the official issued regulations that the time for minors to play online games from Monday to Friday must not exceed 90 minutes, and it must not exceed three hours on weekends and holidays.Not only that, all online game users need to register with real names and ID numbers.
In 2021, the Economic Reference Newspaper, a subsidiary of Xinhua News Agency, described online games as "spiritual opium" and "electronic drugs".
Shortly after this article was issued, China issued the regulations to further play online game time for minors: All online game companies can only go to minors from 20:00 to 21:00 on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and statutory holidays to minors.People provide an hour service, and they must not provide online game services to minors at other times.
Hall of public opinion tsunami
Back to the manuscript of the announcement a few days ago, the vomiting and criticism of China's network one after another.Many netizens pointed out that they can understand the reason why the official controlled the minors to play games on the Internet. After all, most of them have no ability to think rationally, but "it is too much to reach for adults!" Some netizens alsoSaid: "You have to manage everything. Adults are not allowed to spend some money to play a game."
But some netizens refute: "The game is indeed rectified, and the game cannot be done like going to work."
Faced with the tsunami of public opinion, on the day of the opinion draft, the surging news quoted the part of the Chinese Soundrum Association Working Committee that since it was a solicitation draft, it shows that all sectors can speak smoothly at this stage to make it actual and feasible, and more, it is more feasible, and it is more feasible.To improve.
The relevant person in charge of the National Press and Publication Office also actively publicly said the next day, "The draft of the solicitation of opinions is based on the healthy development of the protection and promotion of the prosperity of the online game industry ...The concerns and opinions put forward by other contents, the State Press and Publication Agency will carefully study and will further revise and improve the opinions of relevant departments, enterprises, users and other parties. "
Obviously, these statements are to cool public opinion and try to alleviate market concerns.But what really works, perhaps the positive news announced on Monday (December 25).
The National Press and Publication Agency released the domestic online game approval information on the same day. A total of 105 games were approved, including Tencent's inverse battle: the future, NetEase's fireflies assault, etc.The China Soundlord Association Working Committee said that the new version number is a batch of domestic online game version number approved by the National Press and Publication Department after the newly approved a new online game version number on December 22.It has strongly demonstrated the clear attitude of competent departments to actively support the development of online games. "
China Sounds Association Working Committee also mentioned that the number of single approval exceeded 100 for the first time, and said that the data of three years showed that the stability of the version number policy has gradually increased, and the game market has rebounded significantly.
The former editor -in -chief of the Global Times, who has always been able to grasp the official attitude, has always been able to grasp the official attitude.Help people add supplementary understanding of the management measures (drafts for comments) drafted last Friday.
Hu Xijin further pointed out that the problems that Article 17 and 18 of the opinion draft really exist objectively, and the public has a great consensus on the disadvantages of the existence of online games, but the market is the first in the first place in the first place, but the market is first in the first place.Time has a panic -in understanding of the new draft of the rules."The market's lack of feedback on policies or even negative feedback is probably a manifestation of lack of overall confidence in the market."
He is also reassuring to the outside world, emphasizing that the online game is a very important branch of the current Internet economy. China cannot crack down on the development of the game industry. "It is too late to push it forward."
According to the Chinese gaming industry report in 2023, China's actual sales revenue of this year's domestic game market was 302.964 billion yuan (S $ 57.673 billion), an increase of 13.95%year -on -year, and exceeded the 300 billion mark for the first time.At the same time, China ’s independent research and development of domestic market revenue was 256.375 billion yuan, an increase of 15.29%year -on -year.
Hong Kong media articles are sharp comments
However, compared with Hu Xijin's comment, the signature article published on Monday, the Sing Tao Daily, Hong Kong is much more sharp.This article entitled to Shi Farmers and Industry, which is like a rock, pointed out that the official strong supervision of online games will have many parents' support in the past, but many netizens will give a negative comment on the new rules this time.
The article quotes Chinese investment celebrities and chairman of Shanghai Chaos Investment Corporation, Ge Weidong, in the WeChat circle of friends, "Save the city here, there is a sense of minor restrictions there" "What is the game of playing games!
But the article said that Tencent's boss Ma Huateng stated in the WeChat circle of friends: "The opinion draft is based on the health and health development of the online game industry." Several other game companies also responded positively.
The article says: "Thunder Rain dew is all grace! If the movie directed by Zhang Yimou is as strong as a rock, he will understand the statement of Boss Ma and others.The wind and the rain, but the deputy mayor Zheng Gang pointed at his head with a disagreement: "You are in front of me, nothing ', and Mrs. Zheng Gang played by Chen Chong warned him to remember the four four of the" taxi, farmers' industry and commerce "four.Words. "
The article went on to say that Chen Chong's warning revealed the social reality as firm as a rock. In front of "Shi" (official), the businessman was at the end, and based on the experience of Alibaba founder Ma Yun who criticized the supervisory official as an example.It is said that "Boss Ma has suffering and swallowing himself, and he has to be happy."
The article finally wrote: "Of course, the game company will complain through various channels behind the scenes, but it must be supported in public. This is politics."
The outside world does not know whether the game company has complained, but it can observe that they have frequent actions when the market is turbulent.
Tencent announced on Friday on Friday that 3.59 million shares were repurchased on the same day, and the repurchase price was between HK $ 263.8 (S $ 44.72) to HK $ 317, and the total paid was 1 billion Hong Kong dollars.Beginning on Monday, a number of A -share game companies have issued repurchase or increase of their holdings.Surging news, this includes Perfect World, Gibi, Sanqi Mutual Entertainment, Giant Network, Chinese Media, Electronic Network, Kaiying Network, and Xinghui Entertainment.
According to incomplete statistics of the Titanium Media APP, the total repurchase amount of the above companies is between 530 million yuan and 860 million yuan.
The 21st Century Economic Herald quoted Tian Lihui, Vice President of Guangxi University and Dean of the Institute of Financial Development of Nankai University. At the time of the fluctuation of stock prices, the increase in the repurchase of the game company can stabilize investors and employees' confidence, maintain stock liquidity and the company.Market value, which can prevent malicious acquisitions, can also optimize the capital structure and maintain the company's competitiveness and market position.
Reappear for severe rectification in 2021?
Some of the views that Chinese officials have launched opinions without warning at the end of the year, which not only caught off guard in the industry and investors, but also reminds many people in the severe rectification of the technology industry in 2021.
Alibaba's Ant Group was suddenly suspended after listing in the United States at the end of 2020. Beijing launched a rectification operation against domestic Internet giants, and this regulatory storm was quickly spread to many industries such as education and real estate.As for how big the impact is, Reuters' reports in July outline some outlines.
The report quotes the data from Refinitiv, a financial data technology company, saying that since the supervisory official two years ago, the market value of China's major technology companies has evaporated at $ 11 trillion since the implementation of the official implementation of the Chinese technology industry.- Equivalent to the economic scale of the Netherlands.You know, this is also limited to the loss of the technology industry and does not include other industries.
But as the official spoke successively in the past few days and the relevant units jumped out of confidence, the outside world has eased the doubts of the game industry will face a new wave of supervision.Many game stocks in China have rebounded on Tuesday (December 26).
This is very important for the Chinese economy that is still in the shadow of the sequelae of the epidemic prevention policy and the shadow of the real estate market crisis.It is just hundreds of millions of gamers.
