Fortnite China PC Version has already reached 10 million pre-registrations. Tech conglomerate Tencent Holdings Limited did its first Fortnite test on July 24, 2018 and has an open test taking place today. The full version of the game (on both PC and mobile) will appear after the “game is approved for distribution/monetization” according to Daniel Ahmad, an Analyst at Niko Partners who covers the digital games market in China & Southeast Asia.
It’s promising news for Tencent Holdings Limited which is coming off a 3.04% stock market dip following the removal of Monster Hunter World PC, just a week after the game launched. Its removal was due to numerous reports citing in-game content that apparently violated the country’s regulations. The game license freeze happening in China right now is grounds for concern.
The fact that this is the Tencent’s first market drop in a decade, as reported by Bloomberg, speaks to both the company’s success and the shocking impact China’s game license freeze has had on this internet giant.
With officials currently not granting licenses, Tencent is still waiting for approval regarding Fortnite as well as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Things have essentially come to a bureaucratic standstill with no one wanting to make a controversial call. And when it comes to video games in China controversy occurs often: i.e concerns regarding violence, the promotion of unsocialist values, and the ever lasting fear of game addiction. On a conference call with investors, Tencent President Martin Lau spoke confidently on the matter. Although they’re still awaiting government approval he stated: “We do believe it’s not a matter of whether these games will be approved for monetization, but a matter of when.”
Despite Tencent being an industry juggernaut, this situation has made it clear that they’re not immune to government regulations. So while there’s clearly demand and massive potential for Fortnite in China, none of it matters without proper government approval.
