On February 21st, Chinese media outlet chinastarmarket.cn reported that the suspension of new game registration number issuing would be the most significant negative factor for the gaming industry. The stricter regulations seek to reduce youth gaming addiction and ban themes and elements in games, such as apocalyptic settings, feminization, and homosexuality.
The news soon rattled capital markets. The stock prices of Chinese gaming companies have fallen sharply. Tencent and Kuaishou fell 5.23% and 7.29%, while Bilibili took a nosedive with a nearly 10% decrease.
The National Press and Publication Administration later replied to Sina Technology, "There is no specific response to the news, but we are still receiving applications for game registration in usual numbers." The administration also did not specify when or how likely it would be to begin reissuing registration numbers.
The last list of approved registration numbers was released on July 22nd, 2021. After that, there were rumors that new registration rules would be implemented, but no new titles have been issued in the last seven months.