China approves 95 new video games in April, including Lost Soul Aside from Sony and NetEase’s Broken Land

Action role-playing game Lost Soul Aside received a licence for release on personal computers as well as for gaming consoles PlayStation 4 and 5, according to the NPPA list. NetEase’s Broken Land was previously known as Code 56. Photo: NetEase Tencent Holdings, which runs the world’s biggest video gaming business by revenue, received the regulator’s … Read more

Microsoft’s Blizzard resumes NetEase partnership, bringing World of Warcraft back to Chinese players after bitter break-up

Blizzard Entertainment, the video game giant behind World of Warcraft, is resuming its partnership with NetEase under its new owner Microsoft, marking a revival of the most enduring US-China video game partnership that had an acrimonious break-up over a year ago. Confirming an earlier South China Morning Post report, the two companies renewed a publishing … Read more

Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase to renew partnership this week, bringing games like World of Warcraft back to China

Blizzard Entertainment, the video game giant behind of World of Warcraft, and long-time Chinese partner NetEase are expected to announce a new deal this week that will allow for a highly anticipated comeback to the country. The two companies are expected to announce on Wednesday that they have reached a new agreement for the distribution … Read more

Chinese video gaming firms continue to look overseas for growth, shrugging off geopolitical tensions, survey finds

China’s video gaming studios are largely unconcerned by geopolitical tensions when it comes to generating revenue from overseas markets, according to a survey of 33 gaming companies in the country with an overseas presence. Only three of the companies surveyed, or 9.1 per cent, said that “global political and economic turbulence” had a “relatively big” … Read more

Tencent chairman Pony Ma sets confident tone for internet giant in 2024 amid WeChat’s improved business prospects, sources say

The 52-year-old Ma, who kept a low profile during China’s 32-month crackdown on Big Tech firms, delivered that positive message in a speech before Tencent’s annual staff meeting on Monday at a stadium in Shenzhen, the company’s home city in southern Guangdong province. Founded in November 1998, Tencent must find new lifelines in its video … Read more

China convenes Huawei, Tencent, Baidu to draft metaverse standards in bid to become global technology leader

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has assembled 60 experts, including some from the country’s largest technology firms, to form a new working group to establish standards for the metaverse sector. Representatives from telecoms equipment giant Huawei Technologies, video gaming titans Tencent Holdings and NetEase, web search and artificial intelligence champion Baidu, financial … Read more

Exclusive | Chinese video gaming official steps down after market rout linked to proposed rule changes, sources say

A key Chinese official involved in oversight of the country’s video gaming industry has stepped down after proposed regulation last month wiped out billions of dollars of value from Chinese gaming stocks, according to people familiar with the situation. Feng Shixin, a long-serving official, has left his official role as the publication bureau chief at … Read more

NetEase and Blizzard said to reach new deal set to bring World of Warcraft back to China

Reports that US video gaming giant Blizzard Entertainment has struck a new deal with NetEase to bring its flagship title World of Warcraft back to China sparked online speculation that the two companies may have reached a detente after the American firm suspended services in the market in January. Blizzard has sought to work with … Read more

China approves 105 video games, but Christmas miracle does not revive stocks after suggested spending curbs

The latest batch of approvals, released by the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) on Monday, marked the first time Beijing had approved more than 100 titles in its monthly list since July 2022, when 135 titles made the cut. On Friday, the regulator also approved 98 imported titles. The move “strongly demonstrates authorities’ clearly … Read more

Chinese game makers Tencent, NetEase tout ‘social values’ in biggest titles as regulatory crackdown weighs on industry

“Tech for Good is one of Tencent’s missions and visions, and League of Legends is adhering to this to make the world warmer,” said Su, adding that the title developed by US subsidiary Riot Games has contributed to more than 10 philanthropic projects covering environmental protection and medical service improvements over the past decade. ByteDance … Read more