According to Reuters, China’s online gaming regulator issued licenses for 27 foreign games in March, including games to be published by Tencent Holdings, NetEase Inc, Bilibili Inc, and XD Inc.

Among the imported online games approved by the National Press and Publication Administration is at least 1 game from Tencent called Merge Mansion. NetEase has received approval for at least 1 mobile game called Audition: Everybody Party and Bilibili has licensed a game called Shanyao! Youjunshaonu.

Tencent
Merge Mansion

This is the second batch of foreign online games to receive publishing licenses in China recently, just 3 months after the regulator approved the first batch in December. As a result of China’s restrictions on online games, the approval process for foreign video games has been suspended for 18 months, from 2021 to 2022.

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Last December, the approval of imported games marked the end of Chinese restrictions on the video game industry, which began in August 2021 when regulators suspended the game approval process. Regulators resumed issuing gaming licenses to domestic games for the first time in April 2022.

XD Inc received licenses for two mobile games, Gorogoa and Wizard of Legend. Other notable games approved by China in this batch include a mobile game called Fairy Tale: Fighting and a console game called Yo-kai Watch 4.

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