China Approves Foreign Videogames in Latest Breather for Tech Giants
SINGAPORE—China has resumed granting publishing approvals for foreign videogames, ending a halt stretching back to June 2021 and removing a source of uncertainty for the country’s once-flourishing videogame industry.
China’s main videogame regulator, the National Press and Publication Administration, said Wednesday that it had approved 45 imported titles, including “Pokémon Unite,” a multiplayer battle arena game co-developed by China’s
Tencent Holdings Ltd.
TCEHY 3.90%
and Japan’s The Pokémon Co., and Riot Games Inc.’s first-person shooter game “Valorant.”
One of the games on the list, “Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming,” a strategy game developed by Shanghai-headquartered Yoozoo Games Co. and licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, was approved in September, while the rest were licensed earlier this month, the regulator said in a statement.
The resumption of approvals for imported titles paves the way for game developers and publishers to cash in on some popular global titles in the world’s biggest mobile game market. In China, companies must seek government approval to charge players for a new game. Imported games have been an important source of income for large Chinese game companies.
In a separate statement on Wednesday, the industry regulator said it also granted licenses this month to 84 domestic games, including Tencent’s third-person shooter “Synced: Off-Planet.”
Including the games approved on Wednesday, Beijing has approved more than 500 videogames this year since it resumed the licensing process in April. The rate is lower than in previous years, when some 1,000 titles were greenlighted each year. Chinese regulators froze game licensing in July 2021 and unveiled strict new measures to limit players under age 18 to only one hour of videogames each Friday, Saturday and Sunday, plus public holidays.
Chinese videogame makers, including Tencent and smaller rival
NetEase Inc.,
have shifted their focus to making fewer games with higher potential, given the limited number of government licenses available in China, as well as developing games for international markets.
Write to Raffaele Huang at [email protected]
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest Technology News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.