Niko News is a filter of the most important news items and bits of information concerning the games markets of China and Southeast Asia uncovered by Niko each week. Our multilingual analysts review dozens of news sources from several countries, and as a team Niko reduces the long list of articles to 3-4 "must read" items for you. We then provide our Niko analysis to these items, making them relevant and highlighting the importance for the market. This service is one of the many ways we help distill the confusing, conflicting information about the games markets of Asia for our clients and readers. 

Vietnam's Ministry of Information and Communications stopped issuing permits for new online games in late 2010. They started issuing them again in mid-2011. They had only banned MMORPGs and games with shooting, such as FPS games. But, they had allowed Cross Fire somehow even during the ban. As we understand it there was not much of a warning before the ban and not much of an explanation when it was lifted. But as this article says, government stats say that 10 new licenses were issued between 2011 and 2012. Other games (casual games) seem to be exempt from the licensing ban, and maybe even the licensing process. It is a system in flux. 

According to a post by Tech in Asia off of stats from China's MIIT, there are now more than 1 billion Chinese mobile phone users, 43 million of who are new as of the first quarter of this year. One billion! Mobile phone gaming will surely be an ever-growing important segment of the games market. We are busy researching this space for our upcoming June report on the topic.  

China's Ministry of Culture will take a closer look at online card and board game websites in an effort to crack down on illegal gambling. Gambling is illegal in China, and has led to the shut down of games of chance within bigger online games. It has also forced gamers who take "winnings" in real money trading to sometimes need to retrieve that money in secret. The MOC will review virtual currency trades, accounting, service charges, win-loss records, and more. There are similar policy enforcements taking place in Japan and Korea.