In The Zone
Zenless Zone Zero surpasses $150 million, but it’s no Genshin Impact…
HoYoverse’s latest RPG has achieved a mighty milestone but much slower to the mark than its forebears
Lots Of Licences
Chinese licence approvals on track to surpass 2023 with 109 domestic games approved this September
An average of 107 domestic games are being approved every month in 2024
Top Grosser
Dungeon & Fighter: Mobile surpasses $800 million in four months
The beat ‘em up made almost $10 million in a single day this June
Afk In Asia
AFK Journey surpasses $150 million with Asian market dominance
Chinese players contribute 22% of AFK Journey’s revenue despite being late to the starting line
Mini Games Big Numbers
Behind the scenes of WeChat Minigames and how it has generated $2.3 billion in the first half of 2024
Jakub Remiar shares insight into the current state of WeChat Minigames and its prominence in the Chinese mobile market
Lawsuit Triumph
The Pokémon Company wins $15 million in lawsuit over copyright infringement
Pocket Monster Reissue had infringed company's copyright by using Ash Ketchum and Pikachu in the game
New Approvals
China licences 117 new games for domestic release bringing this year's approvals to 850 titles
The NPPA has now licensed 850 domestic video game titles in the first eight months of 2024
Enter Mobile
Bullet hell roguelike Enter the Gungeon heads to mobile in China
X.D. Network set to publish title in the country, over eight years after it was first released
Apple Vs Android
Mobile games revenue growth is at a snail’s pace on Apple as Android closes the gap
Android users spent $10 billion on mobile games in H1 2024, versus $13.8 billion on Apple
New Approvals
China approves 15 import games, delivering a total of 76 import approvals in 2024
Nintendo secured approvals for Mario Golf: Super Rush and Paper Mario: The Origami King
Adapt And Approve
Square Enix and Tencent to team up on mobile game based on Final Fantasy XIV
Full details on the new game have yet to be revealed by either company, but a Chinese licence approval suggests the game is in development
Major Milestone
NetEase’s Blood Strike rockets to 50 million installs in less than a year
The milestone was reached within nine months of official release in Southeast Asia
Growing Chinese Games Overseas
SocialPeta Partnered with Liftoff to Release the Guide to Growing Chinese Gaming Apps Overseas
SocialPeta and Liftoff, have jointly released the report 'Guide to Growing Chinese Gaming Apps Overseas' based upon 133 billion ad impressions, 7.9 billion clicks, and 18 million installs gathered in 2023-24
Hot Five
Hot Five: HoYoverse’s next game, Monster Hunter Now’s multiplayer mindset, and three years of Pokémon Unite
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
China Expansion
Xsolla opens new Beijing office
Company says move signifies “renewed commitment” to the region
Executive Departures
Perfect World CEO and co-CEO resign after mass layoffs
Senior VP Gu Liming takes reins at Chinese developer
Ongoing Rift
Tencent's mobile games vanish from Huawei app store rankings
The move left rival NetEase's titles Eggy Party and Fantasy Westward Journey in the top positions
Zenless Zenith
Zenless Zone Zero to launch globally with DOUBLE Honkai: Star Rail’s pre-registrations
The game finally lands across the world today and tomorrow and we've got the latest launch figures and exactly WHEN it'll hit your timezone
Apple Rebound
Apple's iPhone shipments in China surge nearly 40% in May, fuelled by aggressive price cuts
The smartphone giant is likely the driving force behind increase in foreign-brand shipments in China
Job Losses
Reports: One Punch Man: World developer Perfect World lays off as many as 1,000 staff
The Chinese media firm is is also said to have halted worked on One Punch Man: World and Perfect New World
China Regulations
China approves 104 new games including titles from Tencent and Alibaba
Industry giants including miHoYo and SenseTime have also established the Shanghai Yuanchuang Future Private Equity Fund
China Cha-ching
Dungeon & Fighter Mobile’s first month of iOS revenue was twice that of Honor of Kings
Nexon and Tencent's RPG generated $270 million on iOS in its first month, becoming China’s most-downloaded game
Approval Achieved
61 new overseas licence approvals in China bring the total to two-thirds of 2023
15 overseas licences were granted in May, including Mario, Pokémon, and Valorant. Now at two-thirds of 2023 with half the year to go
Rpg Reversal
Reverse: 1999 celebrates one year in China with $74 million and "semi-anniversary" in the West
Bluepoch’s launch title is celebrating its "semi-anniversary" with Version 1.6 and up to 90 free summons
Fighting Start
Dungeon & Fighter Mobile picks up $66 million on China's App Store in first week
Nexon president and CEO Junghun Lee said title has potential to have "profoundly positive impact" on company's revenue and profit
M&a
ByteDance sells Red Alert Online dev C4 Games for $35.8 million
Film and entertainment firm says Red Alert can generate "considerable revenue" in the future
Launch Day
Supercell's Hay Day returns to China's App Store after four year absence
Farming simulator launched on May 15th, published by Tencent
Financials
Nexon banks on $22bn IP Dungeon & Fighter being a mobile hit in China as Q1 revenue declines
Franchise has generated more than $22 billion to date, as publisher eyes as much as a 90% boost to China earnings with mobile release
International Expansion
Chinese publisher iDreamSky opens office in Riyadh for first international expansion
iDreamSky president and co-founder tells PocketGamer.biz the MENA region is an exciting new opportunity in the face of other saturated markets
Tiktok Troubles
TikTok files appeal over "unconstitutional" US divest-or-ban law
TikTok claims it cannot separate from ByteDance and any concerns could be addressed less restrictively
Starting Strong
China’s game licence approvals are falling again, but don’t panic…
While month on month numbers are down, April 2024 saw 95 new domestic game licence approvals, more than the 86 granted in April 2023
Honkai Hoorah
Honkai: Star Rail zooms beyond $1 billion on its first anniversary
Honkai: Star Rail generated $1.3 billion in its first 12 months, with 25% from 6% of players…
Tiktok Troubles
It's bad day for TikTok as both the US and EU clamp down
TikTok faces a rewards programme ban in the EU and a complete ban in the US unless it sells up
Tiktok Ban
US faces prospect of TikTok ban as House of Representatives passes bill
State due to vote on bill
Mobile Games Adaptation
MiHoYo green lights Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail movies with government backing
The projects aim to elevate Shanghai into a premier “city of film'' within three years, positioning it as a key destination for film production
Profit Power
ByteDance profits reportedly rise 60%, surpassing Chinese competitor Tencent
ByteDance has been pulling back from gaming after TikTok has played a greater role in the company’s surging revenues and profit
Microsoft's Might
Microsoft saves the day: Activision Blizzard games are set to return to China in new NetEase deal
The untimely end of Activision Blizzard and NetEase’s deal meant that games such as Overwatch and World of Warcraft have spent over a year offline in China
Age Of Mobile
How TiMi Studio and World's Edge are adapting Age of Empires for mobile
PocketGamer.biz speaks to TiMi Studio Group GM Brayden Fan and producer Robin Xin about the strategy game's development
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from bad botanists to bunny befrienders
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Iteration Inspiration
Report: Tencent's top studios developing Palworld-like mobile games
TiMi and Lightspeed studios are reportedly developing mobile games inspired by Palworld
Team Tencent
Tencent "focusing on fewer bigger budget games" as it shifts away from IP strategy
Publishing giant moves Assassin's Creed Jade team to DreamStar as part of new focus on internal products and fewer big franchise bets
Revenue Rivals
Honkai: Star Rail’s monthly revenue doubles while Genshin Impact slips back
miHoYo’s two biggest games generated a combined $180.3 million on mobile in February
Netease Nets A Win
Eggy Party helps drive NetEase games revenue up 9.4% to $11.5 billion in 2023
NetEase generated $11.5 billion from video games in 2023
Data Deluge
Mobile game downloads fell for the first time ever in 2023 to 88 billion
The Indian market downloaded over double the mobile games of any other region, but didn’t make the top 20 for spending
Tencent Turnaround
China approves 32 overseas licences including Nexon and Tencent’s Mobile DnF
While an unstable landscape for games, China continues to prove a lucrative one
Gaming Trends
China at the forefront of mobile gaming as global market hits $85.76 billion
China's gaming dominance is bolstered by Tencent Games, a revenue powerhouse contributing 100 billion yuan ($14.13 billion)
China Regulations
China greenlights 115 games in January, largest batch in 18 months
Tencent, Lilith Games and others have had their titles approved this month
China Regulations
Stock prices jump as China backtracks on gaming restrictions
Stock values of major Chinese gaming firms such as Tencent and NetEase recover as deadlines pass and China's gaming clampdown evaporates - for now
Winning The War
My.Games' War Robots returns to China
Following a loss of licence in 2021 which it won back in 2023, a new deal with publisher iDreamSky now sees the game return to one of its top three markets
Tencent Tumble
Tencent's external investments have dropped 87% in two years
From healthcare to AI start-ups, the number of Tencent investments in external companies decreased from 299 in 2021 to just 39 in 2023