China Approves 128 New Video Games in October

China has granted approval to 128 video games in October 2024 for domestic release, which includes both Chinese and foreign titles.

The National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA), responsible for licensing video games in China, announced the approval of 113 local games and 15 imported ones, as reported by the South China Morning Post.

Among the foreign releases, a highlight is Goddess of Victory: New Hope, the local adaptation of Goddess of Victory: Nikke, an anime-inspired role-playing shooting game developed by South Korean studio Shift Up. Tencent, which holds a 35% stake in Shift Up, plays a significant role in the Chinese release. The international version of Goddess of Victory: Nikke, launched in November 2022 by Tencent’s publishing division Level Infinite, has already seen major global success. Now, in China, Tencent will partner with Migu Fun, China Mobile’s gaming platform, to bring the game to Chinese players.

In this latest wave of approvals, Tencent emerged as a major beneficiary. Aside from Goddess of Victory, Tencent is also distributing Squad Busters, a mobile action game by Finnish developer Supercell.

China’s regulator has maintained a steady pace of video game approvals in 2024, consistently greenlighting over 100 domestic games each month. However, foreign game approvals are less frequent, occurring roughly every two months.

To date, the NPPA has approved 1087 domestic games, already surpassing last year’s total of 977 approvals. This reflects a notable recovery from 2022 when licensing slowed significantly due to an eight-month pause beginning in 2021.

The recent approvals follow the August release of Black Myth: Wukong, a highly anticipated title regarded as China’s first AAA game. Developed by Game Science, a studio backed by Tencent, Black Myth: Wukong made waves internationally, highlighting China’s $45 billion gaming industry on the global stage. The game has seen strong sales on Steam, surpassing 21.5 million units with over $1 billion in revenue according to VG Insights, an industry analytics firm.

Additionally, the success of Black Myth: Wukong has boosted China’s gaming market, with third-quarter revenue rising 8.95% year-on-year to 91.8 billion yuan (approximately $12.9 billion). This growth underscores China’s position as the world’s second-largest video game market by revenue, as per the report by the Gaming Publishing Committee of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association.