Prevent illegal game money flow

SGGP 03/24/2023 14:37

Hundreds of thousands of unlicensed games are being released online, mainly on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Valve Stream. It is estimated that the revenue of unlicensed games in the Vietnamese market is nearly 5,000 billion VND/year, accounting for 30% of the total revenue of the Vietnamese game publishing market.

Inside Topebox Game Studio, a Vietnamese gaming startup based in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: TAN BA

Identifying channels that "support" illegal games

At the workshop "Implementing solutions to prevent payment for unlicensed games" held in Hanoi on March 23, Mr. Le Quang Tu Do, Director of the Department of Radio, Television and Electronic Information (PTTH-TTĐT) under the Ministry of Information and Communications, said that from 2019 to now, at the request of the Department of Radio, Television and Electronic Information, Google has removed 294 gambling, prize-winning, violent, and unlicensed games; Apple has removed 90 gambling, prize-winning, unlicensed games; stopped the operation of 543 websites showing signs of providing unlicensed games, gambling, prize-winning games... However, the biggest limitation today is that payment for unlicensed games is very easy in many forms.

According to the Department of Radio, Television and Electronic Information, payment channels supporting illegal games currently in Vietnam include: through payment intermediaries (e-wallets) or bank transfers (internet banking); via Google Play (with e-wallets: MoMo, ZaloPay, VTC Pay; credit cards or debit cards: MasterCard, Visa, Visa Electron; telecommunications accounts: Vinaphone, MobiFone , Viettel) and Apple Store (with e-wallets: Momo, ShopeePay; credit cards or debit cards: MasterCard, Visa). Along with that is payment through payment websites such as: muacash.com; napgamelau.com; napgamemobile.com; napgame247.com; naplau.com... These websites pay by transferring money directly from the user to the bank account, e-wallet of the payment recipient. Then, the payment recipient makes a deposit through the application on Google, Apple. In Vietnam today, when releasing a game on the app store, revenue from payment via credit card (Visa/Master) accounts for 5-7%, via MoMo e-wallet accounts for 60%, the rest is from other forms.

The Ministry of Information and Communications will publish information on licensed and unlicensed games, payment gateways, payment intermediaries that are complying with the law, as well as units that are showing signs of illegal payments.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Lam

At the workshop, representatives of payment intermediaries such as MoMo, VTC Pay, Viettel Money, and Ngan Luong said that it is not easy to identify unlicensed games; they requested the Ministry of Information and Communications and relevant authorities to provide a list of unlicensed games and pirated game businesses so that these units can use that as a basis for not making payments, as well as to work with partners such as Google and Apple during the payment process. According to these businesses, the Ministry of Information and Communications needs to work directly with Google and Apple to prevent the release of unlicensed games to the two app stores from the beginning, creating fairness for domestic businesses currently operating games.

Coordinate prevention from the beginning

Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, Director of the Payment Department (State Bank), said that it is necessary to determine the legality of goods during the payment process. He compared: Apple and Google's app markets are no different from supermarkets, so relevant ministries and branches must be responsible for the legality of games as well as services on them; and transactions between buyers and sellers are like paying for a supermarket. Therefore, it is necessary to block games and unlicensed products right from the source. The Ministry of Information and Communications and relevant agencies need to provide a list of unlicensed games online; as well as accounts identified as receiving money from unlicensed games. This list is updated monthly, even weekly, as soon as possible. On that basis, the State Bank will require payment intermediaries, credit institutions, etc. to stop transactions and payments.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Lam said that the added value of Vietnam in the gaming industry is not high. Nearly 90% of games in the market are imported or licensed. If unlicensed online games are included, this rate could be even higher. Some countries near Vietnam have measures to tighten their gaming markets, but those games flood into Vietnam. Domestic gaming businesses are already facing difficulties, many costs while the game life cycle is short and they are subject to unfair competition...

Many popular game payment channels are used. Photo: Provided by the Department of Radio, Television and Electronic Information

Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Lam said that he will direct the Department of Radio, Television and Electronic Information to periodically send a monthly list of licensed and unlicensed games for payment intermediaries to check. The Ministry of Information and Communications will coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security and the State Bank to monitor, inspect and strictly handle any payment intermediary that continues to pay for unlicensed games. The State Bank needs to take measures to prevent and not allow these intermediaries to pay for unlicensed games. As for Apple and Google, the management agency will propose not to cooperate with these payment intermediaries to pay for games on the above two app stores.

Easy to buy and play illegal games

Users only need to go to the app stores such as Google Play or Apple Store to access hundreds of games from foreign companies that are not licensed in Vietnam. These include games such as: Last Day on Earth- Vuvial, Age of Frostfall, Age of Magic: Role-playing War, Blitz: Heroic Era, Dream Fantasy, War of Gods, Souland Reload, Blade Idle, Star Healer, King's Guard: Dragon War... Card games have also appeared widely on the AppStore and Google Play app stores such as: Big5x, Win7x, PuSxx8, CB xx,...

One of the reasons why foreign publishers have increased the number of unlicensed games on app stores (which Vietnamese users can download) is because they do not need to apply for a license from domestic management agencies. “App stores have adjusted the commission rate on app stores down to 15%, applicable to developers earning the first 1 million USD per year. Previously, the commission discount rate for both app stores was 30%,” said a domestic game publisher.

Some unlicensed games, such as the game Mong Huyen Phi Tien and then buy in-game items, both Google and Apple app stores allow users to choose payment methods such as credit cards, MoMo e-wallets and on the AppStore there is an additional option of ShopeePay wallet. Not only that, you can use MoMo e-wallets, Viettel Pay, ZaloPay... to deposit money and bet online on some sites such as M8x, Vn88xx, V9bxx, 8xbxx...

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/ngan-chan-dong-tien-game-khong-phep-post683202.html