Chinese government gives final statement on VALORANT’s release in the country

The National Press and Publication Administration in China announced that Riot Games’ VALORANT will be available to play in the country, it was announced today. 

VALORANT, alongside another five titles by Riot Games-owned Chinese conglomerate Tencent, was approved by the video game regulatory body, meaning that gamers in the country will finally have access to the game. 

Until now, players had to use a virtual private network and connect to the Hong Kong servers to play the game. Despite the restrictions, plenty of professional teams flourished, such as EDward Gaming, which attended Champions earlier this year. 

China’s video game market took a hit due to last August’s temporary suspension of video game licenses in the country. Even prior to the ban, the Chinese government implemented strict measures that limited the time young people could spend on video games. 

The harsh restrictions have seen children spend less time on video games in China, with the research firm CNG alongside the China Game Industry Group Committee praising the measures taken, according to a November report by CNBC. 

China is one of the major market players for video game companies, with Riot benefitting from the game’s 27 servers in China, which has allowed millions of players to access the title. The regulatory change means that players should now be able attain access to their own servers without having to utilize a virtual private network, but this remains in the air.