Tencent, Netease Still Frozen Out as China Approves Latest Games
- Both await regulatory approval to make money off new games
- Investors say it’s a matter of time before they’re green-lit
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Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Netease Inc. were again left out when regulators green-lit the latest batch of online games, spurring concern that China’s largest gaming companies may have to wait longer than anticipated to start making money off hit titles.
Neither company appeared on a list of 93 domestic games approved for licenses in January and were also absent from 164 cleared in December, ending a nine-month freeze. Smaller rivals, including Shanghai-listed Jiangsu Phoenix Publishing & Media Corp. and Shenzhen-listed Sanqi Interactive Entertainment, made the cut instead, according to notices posted by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.