As October comes to a close, the Chinese gaming industry is eagerly pushing toward 2024, fueled by a new wave of game license approvals following a record-high revenue in the third quarter of this year.
According to the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA), 113 domestically-produced online games and 15 imported games received their licenses in October. This brings the total number of approved game licenses for 2024 to 1,162—surpassing the average of the past four years and injecting fresh vitality into the gaming sector.
For the first time, the number of games approved in a single round has exceeded one hundred. On October 25, the NPPA released information indicating that 113 domestic online games were approved this month, including 50 mobile casual puzzle games and 7 client-based games. This highlights the significant popularity of lightweight games in the market, as mobile casual puzzle titles dominate the approvals.
Among the approved games, 20 operating companies are based in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, underscoring the flourishing game development scene in these cities. Notably, the NPPA granted 105 licenses at the end of 2023, marking the first instance of approvals surpassing a hundred in one session since the normalization of the licensing process. In total, 1,075 game licenses were issued in 2023.
The issuance of licenses for domestic online games has seen steady growth this year, consistently maintaining a monthly total above one hundred, except for April and May. As of October, the total for 2024 includes 1,162 licenses, comprising 1,072 for domestic online games and 90 for imported titles—far exceeding the average from the previous four years. With November and December still to come in the fourth quarter, it’s anticipated that the 2024 total will reach historic highs.
In conjunction with these releases, the NPPA also shared details on imported game approvals for October, which included 15 titles. Among the standout games are the much-anticipated “Goddess of Victory: Nikke” and “Blast Brigade.”
“Goddess of Victory: Nikke,” developed by the well-known South Korean company Shift Up, is a third-person shooter with a distinctive anime style. Since its overseas launch in November 2022, it has rapidly claimed top spots on bestseller lists across regions like Japan and Korea, becoming one of the hottest anime games globally. The Chinese version will be jointly operated and distributed by Migu and Tencent.
The “2024 Third Quarter China Game Industry Quarterly Report,” compiled by the Game Committee of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association and Gamma Data, reveals that new mobile games and leading products have contributed significantly to growth. The revenue for China’s gaming market reached 91.766 billion yuan in the third quarter, marking a 22.96% increase from the previous quarter and an 8.95% rise year-on-year. Specifically, the actual sales revenue from China’s mobile gaming market reached 65.658 billion yuan, up 20.20% quarter-on-quarter and 1.21% year-on-year. Additionally, the sales revenue from domestically developed games hit 72.210 billion yuan, reflecting a quarter-on-quarter increase of 23.69% and a year-on-year increase of 0.23%.
