- China has approved four batches of import games, with over 100 expected by year-end
- The country is now on track to exceed the 98 approvals throughout 2023
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China’s National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) has approved and granted ISBN to 15 import games on Friday, August 2nd 2024.
According to Niko Partners, China has had 76 import game approvals so far this year, matching the total approved in 2021, surpassing the 44 approved in 2022, and on track to exceed the 98 approvals in 2023.
Games developed or owned by non-China based entities are labelled ‘Import Games’ and China requires all video games to have a licence from the NPPA to operate in the country.
Approved import games in August
China approved a Rainbow Six game for mobile and PC, a positive move for Ubisoft after previous bans on the franchise. NetEase also received licences for Marvel Snap and Marvel Rivals, continuing its partnership with Marvel.
Nintendo secured approvals for Mario Golf: Super Rush and Paper Mario: The Origami King for the Chinese market.
Also, mobile games based on Final Fantasy XIV and Dynasty Warriors 8 were approved, with Tencent involved in the development of Final Fantasy XIV.
In 2024, China has approved four batches of import games, with over 100 expected by year-end. Mobile games lead with 49 approvals, followed by cross-platform (11), PC (9), and console (7) games.
