The new annual funding programme for video game animation, esports and related industries reflects the city’s extensive preparations ahead of hosting the 2022 Asian Games, which will take place from September 23 to October 8, 2023.
Without elaborating, Hangzhou said its plan calls on various government bodies in the city to help create a “positive atmosphere of public opinion” during the Games.
Before the release of the report that declared an initial victory against video game addiction, signs of a thaw in China’s crackdown on the industry emerged when regulator the National Press and Publication Administration granted licences to 70 new titles. That was the second highest number in 2022 behind the 73 issued in September. No new licences were granted in October.
Earlier this month, the People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party’s mouthpiece, published an opinion article that described video games as an industry of “great significance to the country’s industrial layout and technological innovation”.
