HONG KONG: China’s gaming regulator granted publishing licences for 73 online games on Tuesday, including titles belonging to NetEase Inc and other developers.

There were no titles approved for Tencent Holdings, the world’s biggest game developer and operator of the WeChat messaging platform, the list published by the National Press and Public Administration showed.

NetEase, China’s second largest gaming company behind Tencent, received its first video game license in 14 months for a sports game titled “All-star Street Ball Party”.

Shares of NetEase, which also trade in New York, rose by more than 3% in pre-market trading.

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Developers including XD Inc and CMGE Technology Group also received licences.

China suspended game approval last August before resuming approvals in March.

Tencent is the last big game developer not to receive a new licence since March.