China has released a new list of approved games allowed for distribution in the country. This move comes amid concerns following the local regulator’s decision to license no domestic titles last month.
Zenless Zone Zero, an upcoming game by miHoYo
Niko Partners senior analyst Daniel Ahmad shared the list on Twitter, saying that 60 domestic games were approved by the National Press and Public Administration (NPPA) today.
The list includes new titles from miHoYo, Perfect World, and other developers, but there are still no projects from tech giants like Tencent and NetEase. However, shares of these two companies increased by 1.54% and 1.35%, respectively (via Reuters).
China’s video game regulator approved 60 domestic games today, which allows them to be distributed and monetized in mainland China.
This is the second batch of approvals since the restart in April 2022. Includes a new title from miHoYo in the list. pic.twitter.com/45LiqQwNgN
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) June 7, 2022
This is the second time the NPPA has released a list of approved titles since ending its almost nine-month licensing freeze and approving 45 domestic games in April. The lack of approved titles in May has made domestic developers worry that the government might stop licensing games again.
However, the number of approved titles is still relatively small compared to the pre-freeze era, when the NPPA used to license up to 100 new games per month on average. This tendency has made a lot of Chinese game companies refocus on overseas markets, producing games for global audiences.