https://www.scmp.com/rss/326782/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar Indonesia’s latest plan to clamp down on violent video games in the wake of a mosque bombing has reignited a long-running debate over the impact of digital media on young minds and whether regulation alone can stem an apparent rise in bullying and online radicalisation. President Prabowo Subianto called for restrictions on games that “normalise violence” following a November 7 blast at a North Jakarta high school mosque that injured nearly 100 students during Friday prayers. Prasetyo Hadi, head... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3333280/indonesia-mulls-violent-video-game-ban-after-mosque-bombing-can-fight-extremism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3333280/indonesia-mulls-violent-video-game-ban-after-mosque-bombing-can-fight-extremism?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2025 00:00:11 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Indonesia is weighing restrictions on video games like PUBG following a school blast in Jakarta that injured nearly 100 people. President Prabowo Subianto ordered his cabinet to look into such measures after receiving updates about the police investigation into the act, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi told reporters in Jakarta on Sunday. Developed by South Korea’s Krafton, PUBG: Battlegrounds is an online multiplayer shooting game that popularised the battle royale genre alongside games like... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3332169/indonesia-weighs-curbing-pubg-other-video-games-after-jakarta-blast-injures-nearly-100?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3332169/indonesia-weighs-curbing-pubg-other-video-games-after-jakarta-blast-injures-nearly-100?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 06:46:24 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg For more than a decade, Tencent Holdings developer Leo Yao toiled in relative anonymity, churning out one shooting game after another. Then he scored one of the biggest Chinese hits of 2024 with Delta Force, a video game that continues to attract 30 million players daily. Now, Tencent’s top brass have tasked the 43-year-old with helping orchestrate a major shift at China’s most valuable company. Executives see a change in tastes among domestic gamers – long deemed a smartphone-dominant audience... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3328788/tencents-hit-title-delta-force-prompts-sharpened-focus-shooting-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3328788/tencents-hit-title-delta-force-prompts-sharpened-focus-shooting-games?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 07:32:27 +0000 Hyewon Lee Hyewon Lee Once considered a niche hobby, video gaming is now decidedly mainstream, standing alongside films and TV series that dominate pop culture. With blockbuster adaptations, a billion-dollar streaming industry, and a growing list of celebrity gamers on the scene, video games are reshaping the world of entertainment. Some of Hollywood’s biggest names have shared their love for gaming. From simply championing their gaming passion to even voicing characters and developing their own games, these seven... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3322451/7-celebrity-gamers-henry-cavill-and-mila-kunis-tom-holland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3322451/7-celebrity-gamers-henry-cavill-and-mila-kunis-tom-holland?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Aug 2025 10:00:09 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao China’s video gaming companies saw their overseas operations emerge as key revenue driver in 2024 amid slow growth in the domestic market, according to a survey of these firms’ latest annual results. Chinese video game studios are now doubling down on exporting high-quality titles to foreign markets, according to Zhang Shule, an analyst with CBJ Think Tank. The trend follows the years-long effort of both Tencent Holdings and NetEase to expand the global reach of China’s video gaming sector. Hong... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3309603/chinas-video-gaming-firms-bet-overseas-revenue-growth-amid-weak-home-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3309603/chinas-video-gaming-firms-bet-overseas-revenue-growth-amid-weak-home-market?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 May 2025 23:00:14 +0000 Tencent Holdings is looking to sharpen its focus on “evergreen” video games that generate steady revenue, instead of rushing out new titles, as the domestic market continues to mature. “We are more focused now, and we tend to cancel many products with intermediate positioning,” Tencent senior vice-president Steven Ma Xiaoyi said in a report published on Tuesday by Chinese digital news outlet Youxiputao. “For those projects that will never have the opportunity to challenge the first or second... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3264602/tencent-sharpens-focus-evergreen-video-games-mainland-china-domestic-industry-matures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3264602/tencent-sharpens-focus-evergreen-video-games-mainland-china-domestic-industry-matures?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 May 2024 11:50:14 +0000 Tencent Holdings has secured the rights to develop and publish the mobile edition of Bandai Namco Holdings’s Blue Protocol, betting on one of this year’s most anticipated multiplayer video games to rekindle international growth, according to people familiar with the matter. The world’s biggest video gaming company has assembled a developer team for the project and holds the global distribution rights, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private plans. The tie-up is an... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3234347/tencent-develop-mobile-version-hit-anime-game-blue-protocol-deal-bandai-namco?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3234347/tencent-develop-mobile-version-hit-anime-game-blue-protocol-deal-bandai-namco?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Sep 2023 05:00:14 +0000 A love-struck couple from arch-rivals India and Pakistan, who met in a gaming chat room before sneaking across borders to be together, say their passion trumped national rivalries or fear of religious backlash. Sachin Meena, 22, an unmarried Indian shopkeeping assistant and a Hindu, connected with 27-year-old Seema Haider, a married Pakistani mother of four and a Muslim, playing the online shooting game PUBG during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. “We became friends and our friendship turned to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3227536/woman-who-fled-pakistan-india-marry-pubg-buddy-vows-soldier-id-rather-die-return?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3227536/woman-who-fled-pakistan-india-marry-pubg-buddy-vows-soldier-id-rather-die-return?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jul 2023 07:24:47 +0000 A woman made a risky trek into India with her four children to be with a man she met through a popular battle royale game known as PUBG. In about a month, their cross-border love briefly put them in jail, The New York Times reported. The woman, Seema Ghulam Haider, 27, met Sachin Meena, 22, on PUBG: Battlegrounds in 2019. PUBG is a multiplayer shooter that became an instant hit when the game was launched in 2017, making US$400 million within six months of its release. India tried banning PUBG a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3227055/married-pakistani-woman-was-arrested-after-fleeing-india-see-lover-she-met-through-playing-pubg?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3227055/married-pakistani-woman-was-arrested-after-fleeing-india-see-lover-she-met-through-playing-pubg?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Jul 2023 05:31:14 +0000 Tencent Holdings and miHoYo maintain their ranking atop the video gaming industry with the world’s most lucrative mobile games in the first half of this year, despite a sluggish global market, according to the latest data from app analytics firm Sensor Tower. Honour of Kings and PUBG Mobile from internet giant Tencent, which runs the world’s largest video gaming business by revenue, remained the industry’s highest-grossing mobile titles in the first half, according to Sensor Tower. For the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3184491/chinas-tencent-mihoyo-remain-top-their-industry-worlds-most?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3184491/chinas-tencent-mihoyo-remain-top-their-industry-worlds-most?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Jul 2022 14:30:33 +0000 Chinese-developed mobile games are predicted to generate greater demand overseas, particularly in the United States and Europe, as tightened industry regulation and slowing growth dampen further expansion in the domestic market, according to a new report. The US and Europe will be the “primary focus” for Chinese video gaming firms’ expansion overseas, a vast market that is forecast to reach 100 billion yuan (US$14.9 billion) over an unspecified period, according to a report published over the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3177208/chinese-mobile-games-future-lies-us-europe-amid-tightened-regulation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3177208/chinese-mobile-games-future-lies-us-europe-amid-tightened-regulation?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 May 2022 11:30:19 +0000 China’s biggest mobile games Honour of Kings, PUBG Mobile and Genshin Impact continue to be the most lucrative titles in the world this year amid a tougher gaming market and a prolonged suspension of new video game licences. Tencent Holdings, the world’s largest video gaming company, continued its reign at the top of Sensor Tower’s list of top mobile games by revenue based on income from Apple’s iOS App Store and Google Play. Its Honour of Kings and PUBG Mobile titles raked in US$735.4 million... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3173288/chinese-mobile-games-tencent-mihoyo-are-still-top-earners-tougher?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3173288/chinese-mobile-games-tencent-mihoyo-are-still-top-earners-tougher?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Apr 2022 22:30:18 +0000 A group of Chinese start-ups are pulling out of India, following the lead of short video platform operator TikTok and other mainland tech firms, as New Delhi maintains that China-developed apps are unwelcome in the South Asian nation, according to industry insiders. Yotta Games’ Laurence Li, who oversees the English-language community in India for a strategy mobile game created by the Shanghai-based developer, recently said that it has been difficult to communicate with players in the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3168709/chinese-tech-start-ups-throw-towel-india-new-delhi-stands-firm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3168709/chinese-tech-start-ups-throw-towel-india-new-delhi-stands-firm?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Feb 2022 12:07:46 +0000 China’s regulators should tighten their grip on video games to avoid the distortion of history, according to top radio broadcaster China National Radio (CNR), adding even more uncertainty to one of the country’s strongest industries. “Industry regulators should have zero tolerance toward distorted online games that make normal life impossible,” the commentary published on CNR’s website on Saturday said, adding that some games could “easily influence the thoughts and judgments of players in... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3145057/china-should-tighten-its-grip-video-games-distort-history-says-countrys?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3145057/china-should-tighten-its-grip-video-games-distort-history-says-countrys?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Aug 2021 11:00:12 +0000 Tencent Holdings-backed Krafton, developer of hit game PUBG: Battlegrounds , plunged in its trading debut on Tuesday, after raising US$3.8 billion in South Korea’s largest initial public offering in more than a decade, amid Chinese state media’s latest broadside against the video gaming industry. Seoul-based Krafton’s shares dropped as much 20 per cent in early trading before they closed down about 9 per cent, souring the mood for both investors and fans of PUBG. Chinese state media’s recent... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3144566/beijings-tech-crackdown-casts-long-shadow-over-south-koreas-biggest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3144566/beijings-tech-crackdown-casts-long-shadow-over-south-koreas-biggest?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Aug 2021 13:00:15 +0000 Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings, already the world’s largest video game company by revenue, is investing in gaming companies at a record pace this year, further padding an expansive portfolio as it seeks to ward off new competition from TikTok maker ByteDance. The Shenzhen-based tech juggernaut, which derives a third of its revenue from gaming, had invested in a record 62 gaming companies by the end of June, according to video game research firm Niko Partners. That averages out to a new... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3139305/tencents-video-game-investments-pick-under-pressure-tiktok-owner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3139305/tencents-video-game-investments-pick-under-pressure-tiktok-owner?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jun 2021 08:02:39 +0000 Chinese apps, led by viral short-video platform TikTok, made up five of the world’s top-10 earners of app store revenue in the first half of 2021, a sign of how digital spending habits have shifted during the Covid-19 pandemic. ByteDance-owned TikTok, whose numbers include revenue from its Chinese version Douyin, was the highest-grossing non-game app from January 1 through June 23, both in overall revenue and sales derived solely from app store payments, according to preliminary data from app... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3139155/chinese-apps-tiktok-tencent-video-iqiyi-among-worlds-top-earning-apps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3139155/chinese-apps-tiktok-tencent-video-iqiyi-among-worlds-top-earning-apps?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jun 2021 08:00:18 +0000 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been reluctant to embrace an Olympic future for esports, despite its growing popularity among Generation Z and millennials – groups that are also seeing the Games as less relevant to them. The IOC supported an esports tournament that paralleled the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games, and esports was an official medal event at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, but there is yet no public timetable for an Olympic video gaming event. The problem, the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3137946/why-esports-and-olympics-still-have-complicated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3137946/why-esports-and-olympics-still-have-complicated?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Jun 2021 03:00:00 +0000 Shenzhen is reviewing a new regulation that would explicitly forbid apps from making personalised recommendations to users under the age of 18, a first for China as Beijing continues to push Big Tech to toe the state line. The draft of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Data Regulation, first released for public consultation last summer, was updated last week, classifying data generated by minors as “sensitive” and barring companies from creating and employing user profiles based on data... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3135610/shenzhen-outlaw-digital-profiling-kids-stave-big-techs-privacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3135610/shenzhen-outlaw-digital-profiling-kids-stave-big-techs-privacy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Jun 2021 09:30:07 +0000 The biggest video game companies in China, including Tencent Holdings and NetEase, are betting on known properties and the widespread appeal of fictional worlds like those of Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and Harry Potter to grow their presence in the global mobile gaming market. With deep pockets and years of experience in adapting games for smartphones, these Chinese companies are driving that effort through partnerships with foreign studios in their quest to dominate the world’s video... https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3119810/tencent-netease-and-others-bring-global-gamers-fictional-worlds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3119810/tencent-netease-and-others-bring-global-gamers-fictional-worlds?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Jan 2021 02:00:12 +0000 India’s ministry of electronics and information technology has issued fresh notices to make permanent a ban imposed on video app TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps in June, Indian media reported late on Monday. When it first imposed the ban, the Indian government gave the 59 apps a chance to explain their position on compliance with privacy and security requirements, The Times of India reported. The companies, which include ByteDance’s popular video-sharing app TikTok and Tencent Holdings’ WeChat,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3119227/india-makes-ban-tiktok-wechat-57-other-chinese-apps-permanent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3119227/india-makes-ban-tiktok-wechat-57-other-chinese-apps-permanent?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Jan 2021 00:56:51 +0000 Tencent Holdings, the world’s largest video games company by revenue, saw remarkable growth in 2020, but it now finds itself on the defensive, trying to tap into new gaming genres as large tech rivals and gaming upstarts chip away at its empire. The Shenzhen-based company, which gets a third of its revenue from gaming, invested in 29 video game companies last year, three times more than in 2019. Tencent also pulled in more than US$2.6 billion from each of its two biggest mobile games, PUBG... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3116846/tencent-feels-heat-gaming-rivals-alibaba-bytedance-and-genshin-impact?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3116846/tencent-feels-heat-gaming-rivals-alibaba-bytedance-and-genshin-impact?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Jan 2021 22:30:14 +0000 When India banned the hit PUBG mobile game over its diplomatic row with China, Zeyan Shafiq’s esports team was suddenly left without players. So Shafiq, who is based in war-torn Kashmir, did something very unusual: he reached across the border to Pakistan. Shafiq, 18, feared reprisals over his move, but none came. It resulted in an unheard-of alliance between Indian and Pakistani gamers, forged in one of the most dangerous regions in the world. “Of course we had lot of things in the mind when we... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3114355/how-gamers-india-and-pakistan-teamed-esports-despite-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3114355/how-gamers-india-and-pakistan-teamed-esports-despite-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Dec 2020 23:00:16 +0000 When Riot Games’ League of Legends: Wild Rift finally launched on October 29, Japanese gamers who had been eagerly awaiting the title for a year were quick to download the mobile game. But they did not expect the flood of antagonistic Chinese players they found when they started playing. The result was clashes between players from the two countries as they exchanged insults in the game. Some Chinese players adopted crude nicknames for their accounts, such as Beat Little Japan to Death, to rally... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3111935/game-boosters-helping-gamers-jump-chinas-great-firewall-anger-players?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3111935/game-boosters-helping-gamers-jump-chinas-great-firewall-anger-players?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Dec 2020 00:00:14 +0000 The anime role-playing action game Genshin Impact has won the best game award for 2020 from both Google Play and Apple’s App Store, extending the winning streak of Chinese-developed games for a third consecutive year. Genshin Impact’s success follows on from wins for PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile – developed by Tencent Holdings – on Google Play in 2018 and 2019 respectively. “Any title crowned Best Game has to exceed expectations and deliver compelling, accessible, genre-defining... https://www.scmp.com/tech/gear/article/3112352/genshin-impact-wins-best-game-accolade-apple-and-google-extending-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/gear/article/3112352/genshin-impact-wins-best-game-accolade-apple-and-google-extending-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Dec 2020 04:02:34 +0000 PUBG Corp, a subsidiary of a South Korean company, said on Thursday it will launch a new PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) mobile game in India after the previous incarnation from a Chinese publisher fell foul of national security rules. Millions of people spent hours at a time playing PUBG mobile in India, the app’s biggest market by users which according to analytics firm SensorTower, accounts for 29 per cent of its total downloads. The announcement of the new game, PUBG Mobile India, came... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3109622/pubg-get-new-mobile-game-india-access-tencents-version-restricted-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3109622/pubg-get-new-mobile-game-india-access-tencents-version-restricted-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Nov 2020 13:05:36 +0000 Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings said its marquee mobile game Honour of Kings has become the first game in history across any platform to average more than 100 million daily active users. At a live streamed event celebrating the fifth anniversary of Honour of Kings on Sunday night, Tencent’s TiMi Studio, the developer of the game, revealed that the game had averaged 100 million daily users for the first ten months of the year, which marks a new world record, according to the company. Honour... https://www.scmp.com/tech/gear/article/3108108/tencent-says-honor-kings-becomes-first-game-average-over-100mn-daily?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/gear/article/3108108/tencent-says-honor-kings-becomes-first-game-average-over-100mn-daily?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Nov 2020 14:30:08 +0000 Chinese game Genshin Impact has earned US$245 million in its first month, ending Tencent Holdings’ dominance in mobile games, but stirring controversy over its potential addictiveness. Developed by Shanghai-based miHoYo, the anime-style action adventure racked up about US$60 million in its first week and averaged a similar amount each week since, according to data firm Sensor Tower. “Genshin Impact [has been] the biggest revenue generator globally on the App Store and Google Play since its... https://www.scmp.com/tech/gear/article/3107834/genshin-impact-rakes-us245-million-first-month-ending-tencents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/gear/article/3107834/genshin-impact-rakes-us245-million-first-month-ending-tencents?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Oct 2020 13:00:16 +0000 Tencent Holdings, the world’s largest gaming company by revenue, just set a record for the biggest mobile game launch ever in China. Moonlight Blade, the tech giant’s answer to World of Warcraft, pulled in more than US$50 million on Apple’s iOS alone in its first week of release. Released on October 16, the new massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is currently only available in China, where the game is set. Moonlight Blade lets gamers play as swordsmen and kung fu warriors in... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3107280/tencents-answer-world-warcraft-made-us50-million-china-just-one-week?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3107280/tencents-answer-world-warcraft-made-us50-million-china-just-one-week?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Oct 2020 11:35:57 +0000 More than a year after its international launch, Tencent Holdings’ Call of Duty: Mobile is finally getting its release in China, with nearly 50 million preregistered users and the endorsement of king of Chinese pop Jay Chou. Licensed by Activision Blizzard and developed by Tencent, Call of Duty: Mobile was officially available in the world’s biggest gaming market on Tuesday via a public beta test. Already an international gaming sensation since its global launch on October 1 last year, Call of... https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3106416/tencents-call-duty-mobile-launches-china-50-million-sign-ups-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3106416/tencents-call-duty-mobile-launches-china-50-million-sign-ups-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Oct 2020 05:57:05 +0000 Genshin Impact has been described as the biggest global launch of a Chinese game ever but now Western gamers are calling it out for censoring the words “Taiwan” and “Hong Kong”, among other sensitive political topics in its in-game chat. Conversations about chat censorship related to Genshin Impact, developed by Shanghai-based miHoYo, first started to build up on the game’s subreddit page. The controversy then spilled over into social media after well-known Twitch streamer Kazuma Hashimoto, also... https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3104556/western-gamers-arms-after-mega-hit-genshin-impact-censors-words?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3104556/western-gamers-arms-after-mega-hit-genshin-impact-censors-words?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Oct 2020 23:00:15 +0000 A number of popular mobile games in China have been called out for not properly protecting user privacy, including one of the biggest mobile games in the world: Tencent’s Peacekeeper Elite , the Chinese version of PUBG Mobile. Peacekeeper Elite , also known as Game for Peace, is an incredibly lucrative title for game developer Tencent. But China’s National Computer Virus Emergency Response Centre (CVERC) says the game doesn’t clearly state all the permissions it accesses on a user’s phone,... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3101437/pubg-mobiles-chinese-version-gets-called-out-failing-protect-user?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3101437/pubg-mobiles-chinese-version-gets-called-out-failing-protect-user?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Sep 2020 13:22:24 +0000 Tencent Holdings’ battle royale game PUBG Mobile broke through the US$3.5 billion revenue mark last month, despite India’s recent move to ban the game, according to a new report. App analytics firm Sensor Tower reported that PUBG Mobile’s revenue exceeded US$3.5 billion in accumulated player spending in the last week of August. Its latest report shows that the title grossed US$221 million in August, making it the most lucrative mobile game in the world that month. The title saw its best month in... https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3101462/tencents-pubg-mobile-passes-us35-billion-accumulated-player?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3101462/tencents-pubg-mobile-passes-us35-billion-accumulated-player?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Sep 2020 09:00:19 +0000 Tencent Holdings has surrendered its rights to publish PUBG Mobile in India to the company behind battle royale hit PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, in a move that analysts expect to help the popular spin-off mobile game get around New Delhi’s latest ban on Chinese apps. India last week banned 118 Chinese mobile apps, almost a third of which were video games, including PUBG Mobile. The government had initially banned 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok and WeChat, in June when there were only two... https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3100729/tencent-relinquishes-rights-pubg-mobile-india-amid-latest-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3100729/tencent-relinquishes-rights-pubg-mobile-india-amid-latest-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Sep 2020 10:45:29 +0000 When India banned TikTok in June, some PUBG Mobile players experienced a sense of schadenfreude. The blockbuster smartphone game, despite being published by Chinese tech titan Tencent, was spared from the original list. But gamers have now run out of luck. Late on Wednesday, India issued a sweeping ban on PUBG Mobile, PUBG Mobile Lite and 116 additional apps. The government’s move riled gamers and streamers who rushed to the internet to discuss a future without their favourite title. #pubgban... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3100055/pubg-mobile-players-and-streamers-mourn-indias-ban-tencent-smartphone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3100055/pubg-mobile-players-and-streamers-mourn-indias-ban-tencent-smartphone?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2020 07:15:34 +0000 India’s latest ban of 118 Chinese mobile apps – including Tencent Holdings’ hit mobile game PUBG Mobile , Chinese search engine Baidu and Ant Group’s mobile payment app Alipay – is an “economic retaliation” for border tensions between the two nuclear powers and signal that no Chinese apps are welcome in the country, analysts said. The apps affected by the latest ban also include NetEase’s popular game MARVEL Super War, Alibaba’s online marketplace Taobao and video platform Youku, dating app... https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3100019/india-bans-another-118-chinese-apps-including-pubg-mobile-alipay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-social/article/3100019/india-bans-another-118-chinese-apps-including-pubg-mobile-alipay?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2020 02:34:58 +0000 Fall Guys is officially coming to smartphones … in China. Chinese online video giant Bilibili recently announced that it’s bringing a mobile version of the global breakout hit to its home market. The game is currently available for preregistration on Bilibili’s game platform. As of Monday morning, more than 130,000 users have expressed interests. Bilibili, China’s biggest anime site, covers the screen in user comments Bilibili says it will be the Fall Guys mobile publisher in China, but there’s... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3098564/bilibili-bringing-fall-guys-china-mobile-game-following-battle-royales?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3098564/bilibili-bringing-fall-guys-china-mobile-game-following-battle-royales?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Aug 2020 08:35:09 +0000 There aren’t many Chinese apps that are popular in the US. But the White House’s newly expanded Clean Network campaign is threatening the few that have earned American fans – many of them mobile games. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo unleashed a five-pronged plan aimed at curbing the influence of Chinese technology. As part of the new initiative, US app stores are urged to remove TikTok, WeChat and other “untrusted” Chinese apps. “PRC apps threaten our privacy, proliferate... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3096336/trumps-clean-network-could-threaten-american-gamers-favorite-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3096336/trumps-clean-network-could-threaten-american-gamers-favorite-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Aug 2020 12:44:04 +0000 When India issued a sweeping ban of 59 Chinese apps on Monday, the news raced across the country’s internet. But there was one conspicuous omission from the list of newly banned software: PUBG Mobile. The fact that the hugely popular game from China’s Tencent was spared came as a relief to many gamers in India. Not all Tencent apps were so lucky. WeChat was among the dozens of apps banned by India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. A slew of the company’s QQ-branded apps were... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3091219/indian-gamers-are-relieved-pubg-mobile-isnt-one-indias-59-banned?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3091219/indian-gamers-are-relieved-pubg-mobile-isnt-one-indias-59-banned?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jun 2020 11:45:43 +0000 China has some of the strictest gaming regulations in the world. The government has long argued that it has to protect minors from gaming addiction, and it’s done so by pushing companies to limit anyone under 18 years old to just 90 minutes of gameplay a day – or three hours on holidays. But this hasn’t stopped kids from playing their favourite games and racking up huge bills from in-game spending. It’s become such a big problem that state new agency Xinhua published an article this week... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3090778/fake-ids-and-smartphone-arcades-how-kids-china-defy-anti-addiction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3090778/fake-ids-and-smartphone-arcades-how-kids-china-defy-anti-addiction?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jun 2020 00:00:19 +0000 Tencent Holdings is rolling out a live-streaming service similar to Amazon.com’s Twitch in the United States, making a rare foray into American social media. The Chinese internet giant has been quietly testing a mobile-focused streaming network via an affiliate in the US since at least March. Initially called Madcat and now branded Trovo Live, the new service closely resembles Twitch in its appearance and functionality. Beyond Tencent’s own portfolio of popular video games like Fortnite and PUBG... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3090812/tencents-twitch-streaming-rival-hiding-plain-sight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3090812/tencents-twitch-streaming-rival-hiding-plain-sight?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jun 2020 14:54:24 +0000 Tencent Holdings’ Call of Duty: Mobile has racked up 250 million downloads worldwide in under nine months, showing potential to become the most successful game on a mobile platform, according to data from app tracking firm Sensor Tower. Developed by Tencent’s TiMi Studios under a license from Activision-Blizzard, Call of Duty: Mobile reached the milestone just 265 days after launch even though it remains unavailable in China. To date, the game has amassed almost US$327 million in player spending... https://www.scmp.com/tech/gear/article/3090421/tencents-call-duty-mobile-racks-250-million-downloads-over-nine-months?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/gear/article/3090421/tencents-call-duty-mobile-racks-250-million-downloads-over-nine-months?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jun 2020 10:00:10 +0000 Tencent Holdings has found another hit mobile game in Supercell’s Brawl Stars which raked in US$17.5 million with 4.8 million downloads in its first week in China, according to data from app tracking firm Sensor Tower. With top-grossing titles such as Clash of Clans and Clash Royale, Supercell – in which Tencent owns a majority stake – has established itself as a hitmaker of mobile games. Brawl Stars’ strong start in China compares favourably to its global launch in 2018 when it grossed US$11... https://www.scmp.com/tech/gear/article/3090093/tencent-lands-another-mobile-game-hit-brawl-stars-rakes-us175-million?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/gear/article/3090093/tencent-lands-another-mobile-game-hit-brawl-stars-rakes-us175-million?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jun 2020 22:30:17 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Twelve people were arrested for selling game cheats for Peacekeeper Elite, a popular Tencent game based on PUBG Mobile. Police in the eastern city of Kunshan in Jiangsu province said the group had been buying cheats from unspecified “overseas personnel” with bitcoin before selling them to players in China. The hacks give players special abilities, like being able to see where other players are and auto-aiming. Police said the business was worth almost... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088666/12-arrested-selling-cheats-chinas-version-pubg-mobile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3088666/12-arrested-selling-cheats-chinas-version-pubg-mobile?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jun 2020 12:04:58 +0000 Twelve people were arrested for selling game cheats for Peacekeeper Elite, a popular Tencent game based on PUBG Mobile. Police in the eastern city of Kunshan in Jiangsu province said the group had been buying cheats from unspecified “overseas personnel” with bitcoin before selling them to players in China. The hacks give players special abilities, like being able to see where other players are and auto-aiming. Police said the business was worth almost US$15 million. If found guilty, it’s not... https://www.scmp.com/china-tech-city/12-arrested-selling-cheats-chinas-version-pubg-mobile/article/3088607?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china-tech-city/12-arrested-selling-cheats-chinas-version-pubg-mobile/article/3088607?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jun 2020 12:04:57 +0000 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Mobile , the popular game by Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings, pulled in over US$226 million in revenue in May, continuing the game’s streak as the highest-grossing mobile game worldwide, according to Sensor Tower.   App analytics firm Sensor Tower reported that PUBG Mobile’s revenue in May represented a 41% year-on-year increase. The game has topped the firm’s monthly rankings of mobile games in terms of overall worldwide revenue for nine straight months... https://www.scmp.com/games/pubg-mobile-continues-hot-streak-another-us226-million-may/article/3088448?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/games/pubg-mobile-continues-hot-streak-another-us226-million-may/article/3088448?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jun 2020 12:00:18 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS The hottest app in India right now is an app that says it will detect and remove Chinese apps from your smartphone. Just 10 days after it launched, Remove China Apps soared to the top spot on India’s Google Play Store. The developer OneTouch AppLabs says it racked up 1 million downloads in that period, and it currently shows more than 5 million installs on Google Play. The Android app purportedly identifies all the apps on a smartphone that are made by... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087210/viral-indian-app-helping-users-get-rid-chinese-software-offers-mixed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3087210/viral-indian-app-helping-users-get-rid-chinese-software-offers-mixed?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2020 10:36:52 +0000 The hottest app in India right now is an app that says it will detect and remove Chinese apps from your smartphone. Just 10 days after it launched, Remove China Apps soared to the top spot on India’s Google Play Store. The developer OneTouch AppLabs says it racked up 1 million downloads in that period, and it currently shows more than 5 million installs on Google Play. The Android app purportedly identifies all the apps on a smartphone that are made by Chinese companies and lets users uninstall... https://www.scmp.com/tech/viral-indian-app-helping-users-get-rid-chinese-software-offers-mixed-results/article/3087142?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/viral-indian-app-helping-users-get-rid-chinese-software-offers-mixed-results/article/3087142?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2020 10:36:50 +0000 Tencent Holdings is casting a wider net for content from console gaming developers, in search of intellectual property (IP) to create the next blockbuster, as the company races to meet increased global demand for new games. Analysts expect Tencent, which runs the world’s largest video games business by revenue, to pursue more collaborations and investments in the console gaming sector, following its recent deals with Japanese developers Marvelous and PlatinumGames.   “Creating and publishing... https://www.scmp.com/games/gaming-industry-booming-tencent-looks-expand-its-reach-console-games/article/3086474?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/games/gaming-industry-booming-tencent-looks-expand-its-reach-console-games/article/3086474?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2020 06:47:20 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Did you rediscover an old game that you haven’t played for ages during the coronavirus pandemic? Or did you once again pick up game controllers you had lying around collecting dust? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, you’re not alone. Research firm Niko Partners recently surveyed more than 1,000 gamers in China to see how they fared during the first three months of the year, which was the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak in China. With... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3082972/more-people-turned-games-during-pandemic-lockdown-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3082972/more-people-turned-games-during-pandemic-lockdown-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2020 10:57:33 +0000