TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Govt prepares rule mandating local presence for game publishers
At first, the government planned to categorize game publishers by size in the regulation, but it has since opted to distinguish between online and offline publishers only, a policy preferred by local gaming associations.
Change Size
A screen capture from visual novel game Coffee Talk from Tangerang-based Toge Productions. (Coffee Talk/Courtesy of Toge Production)
T
he Communications and Information Ministry is preparing a regulation requiring game publishers to have a local presence in the country and aims to conclude the process by the end of this year.
The ministry's applications and informatics director general Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan said on March 15 that the government would focus on regulating online game publishers rather than the offline ones, following its discussions with local game associations.
“We are currently drafting the technical aspects of the ministerial regulation for game publishers to be legally registered in Indonesia in order to regulate governance of the industry,” Semuel said in a weekly media briefing.
Local game developers have opposed the planned regulation, fearing it could stifle the domestic entertainment industry and restrict global market access, but the government plans to press on nonetheless.
“We’ve discussed it with local game associations,” Semuel added.
Game publishers must be registered in Indonesia, Semuel said, to adhere to the country’s consumer protection and taxation policies.
