China’s Tencent wins first game license in 18 months
China has granted tech giant Tencent its first license for a video game in 18 months, ending a dry spell that had threatened its position as the world’s top game maker.
Beijing moved against the country’s vibrant gaming sector last year as part of a sprawling crackdown on big tech companies, including a cap on the number of time children and teenagers could spend playing games.
Officials also froze approvals of new titles for nine months until April.
China’s gaming regulator, the National Press, and Publication Administration, on Thursday, said it had approved 70 new titles in November, including Tencent’s action game “Metal Slug: Awakening” and a role-playing game “Journey to the West: Return” by rival NetEase.
Gaming licenses are mandatory for video games to be published and sold in the Chinese market.
The last time Tencent obtained a big license was in May 2021. A Tencent subsidiary received a license in September but it was for a free educational game.
Shares of the Hong Kong-listed company edged up 0.5 per cent in early trade on Friday after the licensing announcement, while NetEase gained five per cent. The approval signals a relaxing of China’s strict attitude towards tech companies.
China’s Tencent wins first game license in 18 months
During the tech crackdown, hundreds of game makers pledged to scrub “politically harmful” content from their products and enforce curbs on underage players in a bid to comply with government demands.
Strict restrictions announced last year allow players under the age of 18 to play for three hours a week.
