China Approves 96 New Video Games in May, Excluding Tencent and NetEase

China's video gaming regulator, the NPPA, approved 96 new video game titles for domestic release in May. Notable absentees from the list of approved games are Tencent Holdings and NetEase. However, at least four of the approved games have investments from Tencent.

Credit: AFP

This number is slightly lower than the 95 approvals granted in April. Notably, the list of approved titles does not include games developed by industry giants Tencent Holdings or NetEase. However, it is worth mentioning that at least four of the approved games have investments from Tencent, which is known for operating the world's largest video gaming business in terms of revenue.

Among the four games with Tencent investments are "Bingyuanxinghuo" from Century Games and "Texunjingying" by Wizard Games, as stated in the NPPA's published list. Other major companies behind the newly approved titles include Archosaur Games, the developer of "Tafengxing," which is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange, and Shanghai Magic Sword Network Technology Co, the developer of "Renjing," backed by miHoYo, the operator of the popular game "Genshin Impact."

While the number of approvals in May is lower compared to the previous three months, the regulator has been steadily increasing the pace of approvals as part of efforts to restore confidence in the industry. In the first three months of this year, over 100 new titles were approved each month. As a result, a total of 524 new domestic titles have been released in the first five months of 2024, surpassing the 1,075 titles approved throughout the entirety of last year.

In January, the regulator faced backlash when it published a draft proposal in December that aimed to impose spending limits on users and ban "excessive" rewards in games. This proposal led to a significant drop in the value of Chinese video gaming stocks, wiping out at least US$80 billion in market value in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and New York. Following the backlash, a key government official stepped down, and the NPPA withdrew the proposal, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.

In other gaming news, the recent partnership between Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase in April will see the return of popular titles like "World of Warcraft," "Overwatch," and "Hearthstone" to the Chinese mainland after being absent for over a year.

---

• China's video gaming regulator, the NPPA, approved 96 new video game titles for domestic release in May.

• Notable absentees from the list of approved games are Tencent Holdings and NetEase.

• However, at least four of the approved games have investments from Tencent.

Source: SCMP