New Release
Honkai: Star Rail races to 20 million downloads on launch day
Hoyoverse’s latest game is on the right track to break records
Investment
Tencent takes the lead on European investment. Will the rest of China follow?
The company wants to hedge its bets abroad. Could more Chinese-funded M&A action be on the way?
Legislation
Gamebake's Michael Hudson and Sandsoft's Lauren Lu on the changing Chinese market
Why China remains a lucrative market despite legislative barriers
Legal
Now NetEase aren't suing Activision Blizzard
The suit was actually raised by a serial litigator naming NetEase, while Activision Blizzard express their puzzlement in a new statement
Legal
NetEase to sue over Blizzard breakup for $43.5m
The lawsuit comes months after their fallout, attempted make up, and heated disagreements
Licencing
Are China’s game approvals back to “business as usual”?
Rounding up the latest on China's licencing freeze saga
Sci-fi Star
Honkai: Star Rail pre-installs available now on App Store and Google Play
A reflective round-up of developments on the next, eagerly awaited miHoYo game
Licencing
China's game regulator approves 86 new games including Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
The game is immensely popular in Southeast Asia
China Changes
Why you should be optimistic about mobile gaming in China
Game licence approvals offer new opportunities to Tencent, miHoYo and others
Gamerefinery Report
Betas, events, and releases: How did mobile gaming do in March?
GameRefinery examines the performance of the market over the month
China Changes
Chinese game licences in 2023 could surpass the past two years combined
Niko Partners points out the positives of recent changes in China
Tiktok Trouble
Australia is the latest country to ban TikTok on government phones
The app has been subject to security concerns throughout the world
Riot X Netease
Netease’s Hyper Front to shut down following Riot lawsuit
The suit alleged that Hyper Front infringed on its intellectual property
Various Visits
Tim Cook represents Apple in visits to miHoYo and other Chinese partners
Meeting creators behind games like Genshin Impact
Finance
ByteDance hits record revenue of $80bn, but at the cost of gaming?
Their latest figures has them head-to-head with fellow tech giant Tencent
Netease X Blizzard
Breaking down the break-up of NetEase and Blizzard
NetEase allegedly suggested it could sway the government’s decision regarding Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
Sensor Tower Report
The USA, India, and emerging markets are leading the way in app installs
But predictions state that China is poised for a resurgence in the coming period
Financials
NetDragon announces 2022 full-year financial results
Coming off the back of significant partnerships and deals in 2022
Granting Games
Spring has sprung. 86 new Chinese game licences flower this March
The 2023 tide continues to turn with as the volume of new Chinese licence approvals continues to grow
Views Week
Week in Views - What caught our editorial eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news and discuss artificial intelligence, gambling and… fishing?
Partnerships
Fishing Clash to cease distribution in China as NetEase closes subsidiary studios
The game's loss is being cited as a knock-on effect of NetEase and Blizzard parting ways
Makreo Report
49% of China’s gamers play on their phones
A new report analyses the world’s biggest mobile market
Licences & International Releases
Tencent brings smash hit Merge Mansion to China in raft of new licences
The game is part of a slew of newly granted licences for a number of foreign titles
It’s Showtime
Persona: The Phantom X available for pre-order in China
The game is the first in the franchise released on mobile
Stakeholders
Abu Dhabi firm G42 acquires $100m+ stake in Bytedance
The owner of Nuverse and TikTok receive a new stakeholder
Chinese Gaming Industry
Chinese games industry publishes draft of rules for self-regulation
The rules aim to address problems in the industry such as copyright disputes and gaming addiction without the need for government interaction
Flexion X Netease
Flexion launches Vikingard on alternative app stores
The company has partnered with NetEase games for the launch
Back On Track
Genshin Impact revenue reached an 11-month high in February as Chinese devs flourish again
Sensor Tower data found 40 of the top 100 revenue earners last month were in China
Big Trouble In Little China
The USA’s new trade restrictions are bad news for Nvidia
The restriction would impact Nvidia’s ability to do business with Huawei
Monster Magala
Street Fighter: Duel announces Monster Hunter crossover with Gore Magala challenge
A monstrous crossover is on its way
Publishing
Marvel Snap publisher Nuverse follow up with Dragonheir: Silent Gods
Will be working with recently established SRGA studios
Shoryuken
Tencent’s Street Fighter: Duel arrives in the West
Tencent’s plan to release China-exclusive games abroad takes shape as A Plus Japan take on its European release
Global Releases
Tencent’s former China-exclusives go global
The Chinese game giant has gone on a spree of releasing previously Chinese-exclusive games to the West
Releases
Nexon’s MapleStory M comes to China with Maplestory: The Legend of Maple
The spin-off from MapleStory M is being developed in partnership with Tiancity
Artificial Intelligence Intrigue
Are AI chatbots coming to Tencent and NetEase games?
Many technology firms are considering services like that of ChatGPT
Netease Expansion
Blizzard break-up strikes a blow to NetEase’s overseas expansion
The tech giant doesn’t expect to launch any new games from overseas studios until at least 2025
Chinese Culture
Tencent and other Chinese gaming companies to help promote Chinese culture
Big name companies are aiming to deliver "broader value"
Releases
Tencent to release Chinese exclusive Honor of Kings in Brazil
The China-only MOBA game is one of a slew of titles now gaining release further afield
Releases
Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat gains worldwide release as Tencent opens up
More Chinese exclusives are getting global releases during a turbulent time for the Chinese game industry
Chinese Gaming Industry
China’s games sales fell 10.33% in 2022
China Audiovisual and Digital Publishing Association has revealed the sector’s struggles
Chinese Restrictions
China moves to increase restrictions on young gamers
The country’s semi-official industry association has called for stronger limits, despite claiming to have fixed the issue of video game addiction
Chinese Mobile Market
China approves 87 new game licenses
Tencent, NetEase, and Alibaba are among the game makers to receive new game approvals
Trouble In China
Chinese internet firms report their first ever combined revenue decline
Companies such as Tencent and Alibaba saw sharp slowdowns throughout the year
Insights
Marvel Snap publisher Nuverse talks up their new global focus
Tom Van Dam, Nuverse's Senior Director of Global Business, outlines their increased global focus post Marvel Snap success
Lots Of Licences
Happy Chinese New Year! Regulators grant 88 new game licences
Tencent, NetEase, miHoYo and others to benefit with new licences for games such as Honkai: Star Rail
Declining A Deal
Apology not accepted. NetEase refuses to take Activision Blizzard back
The refusal of a new, extended deal means that games licences in China for World of Warcraft and more could expire soon
Netease X Blizzard
NetEase to disband Shanghai team following breakup with Blizzard
A skeleton crew will deal with logistical issues in the short term
Beijing’s Golden Ticket
China takes steps to tighten grip on tech by acquiring 'golden shares' in Tencent and Alibaba
By taking shares in the companies, Beijing can help guide future development
A New Partnership
Blizzard reportedly enters final stage of negotiations with its new Chinese partner
The company ended its partnership with NetEase in 2022
International
Can the Chinese mobile gaming industry bounce back in 2023?
With the end of zero-covid and other regulatory restrictions, can the Chinese mobile gaming industry come back to prominence?