① 122 domestic games and 13 imported new games were approved today, marking the third consecutive month that domestic and imported game licenses have been issued simultaneously. Tencent and NetEase's major games have been approved, along with numerous achievements by dozens of listed gaming companies; ② As of the report, a total of 1,416 new games have received licenses this year, the highest number in nearly five years.
According to news from the Financial Association on December 24 (Reporter Cui Ming), 122 domestic games and 13 imported new games were approved today, which marks the third consecutive month for the simultaneous issuance of licenses. As of the report, a total of 1,416 new games have received licenses this year, the highest total in nearly five years (2020-2024).
This evening, the National Press and Publication Administration announced the approval information for domestic online games for December 2024, with a total of 122 new games approved. This includes 8 mobile and client games, 1 client game, 1 VR game, 1 mobile, client, and Switch game, 1 mobile, client, and PS5 game, 1 mobile and web game, with the remaining 109 being mobile games (including 33 leisure puzzle mobile games).
Among these, the main products from listed companies include: NetEase's 'Unlimited'; Kingnet Network (002517.SZ) 'Super Soldier', 'Gu Long Heroes Record', 'Rise of the Overlord of the Three Kingdoms', 'Little Soldiers Fight the World'; Beijing Ultrapower Software (300002.SZ) Shellwood Games' 'Seventh Era Survivor'; 37 Interactive Entertainment Network Technology Group (002555.SZ) 'Ancient Book Restorer', 'Pixel City'; CHINA MOBILE (600941.SH) Migu Entertainment's 'Kuroko's Basketball: Street Showdown', 'Matrix War', 'Elemental Miracle'; Hangzhou Shunwang Technology (300113.SZ) 'Rise of the War'; Shenzhen Zqgame (300052.SZ) 'Traveler Sophia', 'Guard This City'; Kaiser (002425.SZ) 'Bee Tribe Era'; ARCHOSAUR GAMES 'Lost Fairytale'; Shenzhen Bingchuan Network (300533.SZ) 'Escape from the Dungeon', among others.
In terms of imported games, there are 13 new games added in December. This includes 2 mobile and client games, 2 client games, and the remaining 9 are mobile games. The new products from listed companies include NetEase's 'Number One Pursuit', IDREAMSKY 'Eternal Reincarnation', Tencent 'Red Alert: Glory', 'Monster Hunter: Traveler', XD INC 'Ragnarok: Rebirth', among others.
Among the approved games, NetEase's 'Unlimited' and Tencent's 'Monster Hunter: Traveler' have attracted significant market attention. It is reported that 'Unlimited' is an urban open-world RPG developed by Naked Rain, a studio under NetEase Games. The expectations for this game are very high internally at NetEase, which has invested substantial R&D resources; currently, the global pre-registration number for this game has exceeded 8.43 million. 'Monster Hunter: Traveler' is an open-world action-adventure game jointly developed by Tencent's TiMi Studio and Capcom. Since the release of the initial work in 2004, the Monster Hunter series has accumulated a massive user base and a high level of influence.
According to statistics from Financial Association reporters, as of now, a total of 1,416 new games have received licenses this year, including 1,306 domestic games and 110 imported games. Whether by category or total, this has already surpassed last year's total level and is the highest in nearly four years. In total for 2023, 1,075 game licenses were issued, with 977 domestic and 98 imported.
Specifically, the issuance of domestic game licenses has maintained a frequency of once a month, with ten months (including this month) having more than 100 issued in a single month, the highest being 122 this month. The issuance of imported game licenses has occurred 7 times, showing a significant increase in frequency.
(As of the time of publication, the distribution of game licenses in 2024 is based on data from the National Press and Publication Administration's official website.)
Industry insiders indicated to the Financial Association reporters that the stable issuance of game licenses has strengthened the industry's confidence and steadied expectations. "The content industry where games reside always relies on works to speak for themselves. As users' aesthetic levels continuously improve, homogeneous products are becoming less marketable, and high-quality, boutique products are the way forward and the foundation for all companies."
In addition, today the National Press and Publication Administration updated the 2024 game approval change information. Among them, NetEase's mobile game "Xutu Zhi Zheng" has been renamed to "Legion War," and the publishing unit has changed to Zhejiang Publishing Group Digital Media Co., Ltd. Kaiser’s mobile game "Huan Dong San Guo Zhan Ji Gaming software for Apple version V1.0" has been renamed to "San Guo Zhan Ji: Feng Yun Zai Qi," and the operation unit has changed to Shanghai Moker Information Technology Co., Ltd.