China approves 96 new video games in May, with market leaders Tencent and NetEase removed from list

The titles approved this month do not include any games developed by industry leaders Tencent Holdings or NetEase, but at least four have received investment from Tencent, which operates the world's largest video game business by revenue. .

Other major companies are also participating in this month's new titles. Omineko From Hong Kong-listed Archosaur Games, InkyoIt is backed by Shanghai Magic Sword Network Technology Co, the developer of Genshin According to the NPPA listing, the operator is miHoYo.

Although the number of recent approvals is lower than in the past three months, regulators continue to increase the pace of approvals as Chinese authorities work to restore confidence in the industry.

In each of the first three months of this year, more than 100 new titles were approved. As a result, a total of 524 new domestic titles were released in the first five months of 2024, compared to 1,075 in all of last year.

In January, The regulator withdrew the draft proposal. Last December, China announced a bill aimed at capping user spending in games and banning “excessive” rewards. The proposal wiped at least $80 billion worth of value from Chinese video game stocks in Shanghai, Hong Kong and New York.

important china The government official later resignedThe South China Morning Post, citing people familiar with the matter, said the NPPA has moved to withdraw its proposal.

Separately, Blizzard Entertainment is reuniting with old partner NetEase in April, with the following titles set to return: World of Warcraft, Overwatch and hearthstone I went to mainland China for the first time in over a year.