Tencent’s Roco Kingdom: World among 104 new video games approved by Beijing in June

The latest titles greenlit by the National Press and Publication Administration included Ruyuan, from Alibaba studio Lingxi Games

China this month approved 104 new video games from mainland developers, including titles from internet giants Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group Holding.

The latest titles given the go-ahead by the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) included Tencent’s online role-playing game Roco Kingdom: World, and Ruyuan from Alibaba studio Lingxi Games, according to a post on the regulator’s website on Tuesday. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

This month marked a rebound for China’s video gaming industry, after fewer than 100 titles each were approved in April and May.

The first three months of the year each had more than 100 new titles approved, which signalled an easing regulatory environment and growing momentum for the domestic industry.

First-quarter revenue in China’s video gaming market rose 7.6 per cent year on year to 72.6 billion yuan (US$10 billion), according to market intelligence company CNG.

Tencent’s latest hit title, Dungeon & Fighter Mobile, raked in US$270 million from Apple’s China App Store since its launch on May 21, a strong debut that contributed to a 12 per cent rise in Tencent’s mobile gaming revenue last month, according to app intelligence firm Sensor Tower.

That performance augurs well for Tencent’s esports expansion plans. The company’s esports unit on Tuesday announced its “Empower E-sports Worldwide Series” that will kick off in August with meetings in Saudi Arabia, France and Japan.

“Without open communication and cooperation, the esports industry would not have reached its current scale and achievements”, Tencent Games vice-president Mars Hou said in a video posted on Tuesday. Hou also serves as general manager of Tencent’s esports unit.

The market has been recovering since April 2022 when Beijing resumed licensing video games after an eight-month freeze. In January this year, the NPPA retracted a draft proposal it published in December that aimed to put a cap on user spending in games and ban “excessive” rewards. That proposal caused at least US$80 billion of Chinese video gaming stocks’ market value to be wiped out in Shanghai, Hong Kong and New York.

A key Chinese government official later stepped down, as the NPPA moved to withdraw that proposal, according to a South China Morning Post report in January, which cited people familiar with the matter.