ByteDance, Alibaba and Bilibili titles among 86 new game licences approved by China regulator in April
- The batch of new licences is another sign that market is set for recovery after year-long crackdown
- The latest batch of approvals includes Earth: Revival, a survival game developed by ByteDance’s gaming subsidiary Nuverse
Beijing approved 86 new games in April, including titles by internet giants ByteDance, Alibaba Group Holding and Bilibili, as the world’s largest video gaming market continues to recover from a long winter.
The National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA), the agency responsible for licensing video games in China, published its latest list of approvals on Thursday.
The figure of 86 is roughly the same as the number of new licences given out in each of the first three months of 2023, in another signal of brighter times ahead after a year-long regulatory crackdown.
The latest batch of approved titles includes: Earth: Revival, a survival game developed by ByteDance’s gaming subsidiary Nuverse; Re: Aethalis, a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game that will be operated by Shanghai-based video streaming platform Bilibili; as well as Sen Zhi Guo Du, a game developed by Lingxi Games, Alibaba’s mobile gaming subsidiary. Alibaba owns the Post.
Guangzhou-based Lingxi Games has achieved success with its overseas expansion. It ranked fourth among Chinese companies for global mobile gaming revenue last month, behind Tencent Holdings, NetEase and miHoYo, according to data from US app analytics firm Sensor Tower.