More South Korean games received service approvals from the Chinese government in the first half of this year, boosting expectations they will contribute to future results. A licence does not guarantee an immediate launch or success, but some Korean games already in service in China are showing early results.

According to the Chinese National Press and Publication Administration's "2026 imported online game approval information", seven games linked to South Korean game companies obtained foreign game licences from January to June.

A game licence is a form of service permit that overseas games must obtain from the Chinese government to offer official service in China. Without one, a game cannot be launched in China, making the approval a key prerequisite for entering the market.

By month, Actoz Soft's "Chaehongdo: Aris Jigyeong", which uses the "LaTale" intellectual property, received approval in January. In February and March, Nexon's "Shaiya: Gwangyeoam" and "Shaiya: Bunjaeng", both based on the MMORPG "Shaiya" IP, each obtained licences. In April, Nexon subsidiary Embark Studios' "Arc Raiders (Hoguangryeopin)" and Gravity's "Seongyeongjeonseol: Jesinjeonjang", based on the "Ragnarok" IP, were approved. In May, Webzen's "Miracle: Singiwon", which uses the "MU" IP, was approved. On June 29, Wemade's "Night Crows" received a licence for mobile and client platforms, lifting the first-half total to seven.

DIRECTLY ENTERING CHINA GIVES WAY TO WORKING WITH LOCAL PARTNERS; CUTS SERVICE BURDEN AND SECURES ROYALTIES

Recent approaches by South Korean game companies to enter China share a clear pattern. Rather than directly operating services in China, Korean companies are choosing collaboration structures that provide game intellectual property to local Chinese firms such as Tencent or leave local publishing and operations to them.

The advantages of this approach are clear. Beyond licences, China is a market with high entry barriers at every stage, including building local distribution networks, marketing tailored to Chinese user preferences, linking payment systems and content reviews. Entrusting operations to a local partner familiar with the market can reduce that burden while securing royalty income. For the local partner, using IP already proven in South Korea or global markets can raise the chances of success, aligning the interests of both sides.

LINEAGE2M, KAZENA AND DAVE POST EARLY RESULTS IN CHINA

Not all games that received licences this year have been released yet. Expectations for an expansion in licences are also growing as some Korean games that separately began service in China have posted early results.

NC's MMORPG "Lineage2M" began official service in China on June 24 with Tencent Games under the name "Tiantang2: Maengyak". It topped China's Apple App Store popularity ranking soon after launch. With users flooding in at once, it urgently expanded servers to 36 from an initial 12. That tripled the server count on launch day. Based on local awareness of its predecessor "Lineage2", the game separately applied content tailored to Chinese user preferences, including enhanced party dungeons and added character appearance customisation.

Smilegate's dark fantasy roguelike RPG "Chaos Zero Nightmare (Kazena)" also began service in China with Tencent on May 28. As of June 17, it ranked No. 8 in revenue on China's Apple App Store. That result came less than a month after launch. It is viewed as a meaningful outcome because it entered the top tier of early revenue in China's highly competitive subculture game market. A promotional video for a new character, "Fei", to mark the launch surpassed 5 million views. Content developed in collaboration with Nuo dance, a traditional dance designated as intangible cultural heritage in China, was introduced by China's state news agency Xinhua, and marketing tailored to local users drove the early success.

A mobile version of Nexon subsidiary Mintrocket's "Dave the Diver" was also released in China in February through local publisher XD (Simdong Network). It rose to No. 1 in paid mobile game sales rankings, and it was reported to have surpassed 500,000 copies sold in 11 days after launch by some local counts.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A LICENCE MATTERS MORE; LONG-TERM SUCCESS DEPENDS ON OPERATING CAPABILITY

Still, whether these early results will translate into long-term revenue is a separate issue. China’s game market reflects early marketing effects strongly in rankings, and results vary widely depending on the cadence of content updates, monetisation design and user retention.

Nexon's "Dungeon and Fighter Mobile" is a representative reference case. The game posted explosive early results, recording more than 370 billion won in revenue within a month of its China launch in May 2024. A year later, revenue was reported to have fallen sharply from the early period after launch. It shows that initial attention does not automatically translate into long-term success.

Genre characteristics also need to be considered. MMORPGs, subculture titles and paid package-type mobile games have different user bases and revenue structures. Even when grouped as licence-winning games, how and when actual results appear will inevitably differ.

Against this backdrop, securing seven licences in the first half of this year is a factor broadening opportunities for South Korean game companies to re-enter the China market. The China game market was about 73 trillion won, up 7.68 percent from a year earlier, and the number of users reached 683 million, as of last year. According to the Korea Creative Content Agency, China was also the No. 1 destination for South Korean game exports in 2024, at 29.7 percent.

An industry official said, "Securing a licence is only the start, and in the end, results are decided by how tightly live service is operated with a local partner." The official added, "As performance from China releases accumulates, it could also affect the overseas revenue structure of South Korean game companies."