CHINA’S Tencent Holdings said third-quarter revenue climbed 10 per cent, as its games business rebounded from a regulatory crackdown on the country’s tech sector and online advertising sales surged.

Sales for the world’s largest video game company and operator of the WeChat messaging platform came in at 154.6 billion yuan (S$28.8 billion) – in line with market forecasts – for the three months to end September, its third straight quarter of revenue growth.

Last year was one of the toughest years for Chinese video game companies after a regulatory crackdown that began in 2021 led to an eight month-long freeze in licences for new games and more restrictions on playing time for minors. Tencent ended up posting an annual revenue decline for the first time.

The industry has rallied this year after regulators resumed granting game licences.

Tencent’s domestic games revenue for the quarter grew 5 per cent, driven by titles such as the multiplayer role-playing game Lost Ark and shooting game Valorant, developed by Riot Games – both of which Tencent launched for the first time in China in July.

In a call with analysts on Wednesday (Nov 15), Tencent highlighted nine games, including Honor of Kings World, Valorant Mobile, Monster Hunter Mobile and Assassin’s Creed Mobile, that are pending to be released.

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“We have a substantial pipeline of new games in development including games that expand our own game IPs... and mobile games that utilise well-loved licenced IPs,” Martin Lau, the company’s president, said.

In August, the Chinese video games sector achieved combined revenue of 29.2 billion yuan, the most in at least 20 months, according to CNG, a government-backed industry data firm.

Tencent shares closed up 4.8 per cent prior to earnings in Hong Kong. It is up just 1.7 per cent so far this year, beating a 8.6 per cent drop in the broader market. In the US, its shares rose 5.4 per cent in over-the-counter trade early on Wednesday.

Advertising boost

Tencent’s online advertising business also reported a solid quarter, posting a 20 per cent jump in revenue driven by strong demand for advertising in its video content.

Tencent said ecommcerce companies have “beomce a much bigger contributor to [the company’s] ad revenue in recent periods”.

Ecommerce companies tend to advertise in the second half of the year, explaining the ad sales surge Tencent experienced in the quarter.

Its fintech business, its second-largest business unit, reported a 16 per cent climb in sales following an improved performance from wealth management services and online transactions.

Net profit declined 9 per cent to 36.1 billion yuan from a year ago when the company had a strong quarter after divesting stakes in portfolio companies such as Sea.

Tencent also saw its overall gross margin continue to improve in the third quarter. It neared 50 per cent, reaching levels last seen in 2018. The company attributes the improvement to its willingness to kill unprofitable businesses, a strategy it has made clear in recent quarters.

Pony Ma, chairman of Tencent, said the company had in the third quarter continued to “refocus away from less scalable activities” while emphasising high-margin revenue streams. REUTERS