People play computer games at an internet cafe in Beijing on September 10, 2021. In the third batch of new game approvals since the end of an eight-month licensing freeze, industry giants Tencent and NetEase were once again omitted while rivals ByteDance and Bilibili made the cut. Photo: AFP
Tencent and NetEase absent from 67 new video game approvals in China, as ByteDance and Bilibili emerge as big winners
- China’s two largest gaming companies have not been granted licences for new video game titles in a year, even as approvals resume one-month cadence
- TikTok owner ByteDance, which has been retreating in gaming in recent months, and video streaming platform Bilibili received approval for new titles
People play computer games at an internet cafe in Beijing on September 10, 2021. In the third batch of new game approvals since the end of an eight-month licensing freeze, industry giants Tencent and NetEase were once again omitted while rivals ByteDance and Bilibili made the cut. Photo: AFP
