(Yicai) Dec. 5 -- China’s National Press and Publication Administration issued 87 new game licenses last month.

NetEase’s The Space Between Us, Perfect World’s Jade Dynasty Season 2, Youzu Interactive’s Youth Journey to the West 2, and other games from Chinese developers, including Zq Games and Shanghai Migu Culture Technology, were granted licenses in November, the NPPA said yesterday.

Seventy-seven of the 87 games can be played only on mobile devices, seven are playable both on mobile and computer, two are online games, and one is available on mobile, computer, and Switch, according to Chinadatapay.

A total of 873 licenses have been issued so far this year. NetEase and Leiting Games are the two Chinese game developers with the most licenses earned this year, seven each.

There is still a scarcity of licenses in the gaming industry, insiders believe. Large companies have more than seven projects under research every year, without counting co-produced games, a source from a Chinese listed video game developer said. Small- and medium-sized game developers are even in worse conditions, the source added.

The limit on the number of licenses issued forced game companies to push for more competitive games, said Zhang Shule, an expert and entertainment analyst at China Business Journal’s Think Tank, Securities Daily reported.

“Before obtaining licenses, small- and medium-sized game companies can try going overseas to verify their product capabilities and participate in global competition, as the domestic market is full and there are more opportunities abroad,” Zhang noted.

In the first half of the year, the sales revenue of China’s mobile game market rose 19 percent to CNY106.7 billion (USD15 billion) from a year earlier. There are plenty of follow-up games from major manufacturers, so with the launch of new products, the game market is expected to grow, according to Guoyuan Securities.

Editor: Futura Costaglione