South Korean game gets approved in China

South Korean game developer and publisher Pearl Abyss’s mobile game “Black Desert Mobile” obtained approval from the Chinese government for a game service.

According to Pearl Abyss on Tuesday, the General Administration of Press and Publication of China announced its approval of “Black Desert Mobile,” a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), on Monday via its website. "Black Desert Mobile" is the mobile version of Pearl Abyss’s popular online game for PC “Black Desert Online.” It was first launched in South Korea in 2018 and is currently offered in 12 languages in over 150 countries, including Taiwan, Japan, the U.S., and Russia.

Pearl Abyss had prepared for the publication of "Black Desert Mobile" in the Chinese market after signing a contract with iDreamSky, a local publisher that received investment from Tencent in March 2019. However, as the tensions between South Korea and China continued and the Chinese government unofficially blocked the distribution of South Korean companies, the approval has been delayed for over two years. “The timing to launch the service in China has not been decided yet. The game will be offered after localization and other preparations are competed,” said a member of Pearl Abyss. The company’s stock price rose by 27.79 percent compared to the previous trading day during the trading hours with the news on the game’s approval.


Gun-Huk Lee gun@donga.com