China has approved more than 100 new domestic titles in a positive move for the industry after a rout of video-game-related stocks late last year. ‘Black Myth: Wukong‘, an action role-playing game developed by Hangzhou-based studio Game Science, is one of the most awaited titles. — SCMP
China’s video gaming regulator has approved 111 new titles in February, including the highly-anticipated Black Myth: Wukong, giving the industry another confidence boost after a stock rout in December.
The National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA), the government body in charge of licensing video games in China, published its latest list of newly approved domestic titles on Tuesday, after giving the green light to 115 Chinese titles in January and 32 imported games earlier this month.
Other games approved in February include Infinite Nikki, an open-world dress-up adventure game from Chinese studio Papergames, and Perfect New World, an open-world action role-playing game developed by Chinese firm Perfect World.
NetEase had one new title approved, while Tencent Holdings, the country’s largest video game operator by revenue, received no approvals this time.
Black Myth: Wukong, an action role-playing game developed by Hangzhou-based studio Game Science, is one of the most awaited titles by Chinese gamers. First announced in 2020, the game’s 13-minute demo reel drew fanfare for its impressive gameplay and high visual fidelity.
Some gamers said it has the potential to become one of China’s first successful AAA games, an informal classification in the video gaming industry referring to premium titles with bigger production budgets and more advanced technology and art.
The game will launch on personal computers in August, followed by consoles on a date that is yet to be determined, according to the website of developer Game Science.
On Tuesday, Black Myth: Wukong was one of the top trending searches on Chinese social media platform Weibo, as users celebrated the approval. But some gamers also expressed concerns that the domestic version might be censored, depriving it of mythical or gory elements.
The latest approvals gave the industry another boost as Chinese authorities try to shore up confidence in the video gaming market, which suffered a major blow in December from a draft regulation that aimed to curb “excessive” playing and spending.
The proposed rules wiped out billions of dollars of value from Chinese gaming stocks. In a rare move aimed at containing the damage, Beijing deleted the notice of the draft regulation from the NPPA website, while a key official involved in overseeing the video gaming market stepped down. – South China Morning Post
