Tencent, NetEase win big with Rainbow Six and Marvel video game approvals in China

China’s two largest video game companies were the big winners in August’s 15 approved imported titles, which includes Mario and Final Fantasy games

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A woman walks by a Nintendo advertisement for the game Super Mario Maker 2 on the Switch in Tokyo on July 9, 2019. Photo: AP

Published: 8:27pm, 2 Aug 2024

China’s video game regulator has approved another 15 foreign-developed titles for the local market, bringing this year’s total to 75, with domestic tech giants Tencent Holdings and NetEase securing licenses for some big games.

Tencent secured approval to release Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, one of the most popular tactical shooter games, and role-playing game Paper Mario: The Origami King for the Nintendo Switch platform in China, according to a Friday statement by the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA).

NetEase received approval for two Marvel titles: Marvel Rivals and Marvel Snap, which both feature famous Marvel Comics characters.

Some other famous titles also made the cut this month, including Final Fantasy XIV, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game that is part of the hit franchise from Square Enix, and Mario Golf: Super Rush for the Switch.

This year’s approvals of foreign video games have already surpassed the 44 titles approved in 2022, when the industry was recovering from an eight-month licensing freeze. At the current pace, it could be on track to surpass last year’s 98 approvals, as Beijing tries to instil confidence in the domestic video game industry after its 2021 crackdown.

In 2020 and 2021, the NPPA approved 96 and 76 imported games, respectively.