China’s National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) has authorized the release of 95 new video games in April, the smallest number so far in 2024. This month’s approved titles include notable games such as Lost Soul Aside from Sony Interactive Entertainment’s mainland unit and Broken Land from NetEase.
Throughout the year, the NPPA has licensed a total of 428 domestic and 46 foreign games. This represents a significant regulatory aspect of China’s booming video gaming industry, influencing both domestic and global gaming markets.
In a detailed breakdown of monthly approvals by the NPPA, there were 107 licenses issued in March, 111 in February, and 115 in January. The gradual reduction in approvals suggests a tightening of regulatory controls or changes in the approval process. These monthly figures highlight the NPPA’s central role in the regulation and growth of the video game industry in China.
The action role-playing game Lost Soul Aside, now cleared for release on PCs and gaming consoles including PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, is among the newly licensed games. Another significant approval went to NetEase’s Broken Land, a shooting game for PC and mobile platforms, previously known as Code 56. This approval comes as NetEase recently reinstated its partnership with Blizzard Entertainment on the mainland, indicating a possible rejuvenation of their collaborative efforts.
Furthermore, Tencent Holdings, the world’s largest video gaming company by revenue, received approval for a new mobile game focused on carbon neutrality. The game, Tan Tan Dao (Carbon Island), is part of Tencent’s initiative to integrate social responsibility themes into its gaming content.
In a related development, the NPPA retracted a controversial draft proposal from December that aimed to limit user spending in games and ban “excessive” rewards. The proposal, which was pulled back in January, had previously led to a significant market value loss of around US$80 billion in Chinese gaming stocks across Shanghai, Hong Kong, and New York.
Additionally, in a noteworthy separate approval, NetEase received the green light to release a PC version of Diablo Immortal, a popular mobile game that is part of the long-standing Diablo franchise, co-developed with Blizzard Entertainment. This game’s launch follows the renewal of the partnership between NetEase and Blizzard, covering several major gaming titles, signaling a strategic move in their ongoing collaboration.
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Featured Image courtesy of Lost Soul Aside