What’s new: China approved more publishing licenses for new video games in January than last month, reinforcing hopes that Beijing will further ease its clampdown on the industry after proposed tighter restrictions sent investors fleeing from gaming stocks in December.
The National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) on Friday issued a new list of 115 domestic titles cleared for smartphones, consoles and personal computers from companies including Shenzhen ZQGame Co. Ltd. (300052.SZ) and 37 Interactive Entertainment Network Technology Group Co. Ltd. (002555.SZ). The figure marks a slight uptick from December, when the NPPA approved 105 new titles for sale in China.
There were no games published by industry leaders Tencent Holdings Ltd. or NetEase Inc. on the latest monthly list, released on the NPPA website.
The background: The January list comes a month after the authority proposed rules on Dec. 22 to limit how much people can top up their accounts for in-game spending irrespective of their age and ban minors from tipping video game livestreamers. It also included having pop-ups warning users of irrational spending.
The proposed stricter rules spooked investors, causing an $80 billion rout in domestic gaming stocks in December. At one point Tencent and NetEase saw their market values plunge by tens of billions of dollars in Hong Kong.
A day after the release of the draft, an NPPA official said in an online statement that the administration would review and further refine the rules after studying public concerns over some provisions.
Contact reporter Ding Yi (yiding@caixin.com) and editor Jonathan Breen (jonathanbreen@caixin.com)
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