Three Korean games get publishing green light from China

Poster for Nexon Games' Blue Archive [NEXON]

Three more Korean games received the go-ahead from the Chinese government just three months after authorities opened up a once-frozen market to Korean companies last December.

Game publisher Nexon Games' console roleplaying games (RPG) Blue Archive, Nexon's MapleStory H5 and Devsisters' mobile game Cookie Run: Kingdom were on the list of 27 additional foreign games which were issued with publishing rights from China's National Press and Publication Administration to run their services in the country.

Blue Archive is set in the fictional city of Kivotos where players are tasked with finding a missing governing figure of a council and resolving criminal cases happening in the city.

The game was globally published in 237 countries in November 2021, excluding China.

Chinese publisher Shanghai Roaming Star will take charge of the game’s publishing and management but a date has not been set for when the game will start its services in the country.

Devsisters' Cookie Run: Kingdom is part of the popular Cookie Run franchise, which revolves around the endless running of a gingerbread man. The mobile game was released globally in January 2021. The Chinese game publisher is GuanYou Games.

MapleStory H5 is based on Nexon's intellectual property of MapleStory franchise and RPG developed and serviced by Chinese publisher Rastar Games.

The RPG started service in September 2021 in regions such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

China has been opening up its barriers to foreign game companies since the end of last year.

Last December, the Chinese content regulator gave a nod of approval to 44 overseas games to operate locally including eight Korean game titles.

China had banned Korean games’ services in the country since March 2017 with only a handful of exceptions, as part of unofficial economic sanctions against Korea over the deployment of the U.S.-led Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or Thaad, missile shield.

Eight domestic game titles which have since received approval are: Nexon’s Maple Story M; Netmarble’s Second Country: Cross Worlds and A3: Still Alive; Kabam Games’ Shop Titans; Smilegate’s Lost Ark and Epic Seven; NPixel’s Gran Saga; Valofe’s MU Legend.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]