Fortnite players posted their goodbyes on Weibo.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BEIJING — Developer gim Epic Games pull out Fortnite version China on Monday (15/11). The developer has spent three years breaking into the world’s largest game market. Epic Games efforts are derailed by the Communist Party’s tough stance on gaming addiction online and the broader technology sector.
Chinese players said they could no longer access the game on Monday (15/11). Players post goodbye on platform Weibo social media. The game’s discussion board has been viewed 470 million times.
“It’s a pity,” said a user who only gave his last name, Ding to AFP, quoted from Japan Today, Tuesday (16/11). “I don’t understand why it ended so quickly,” he said.
Another player named Zheng (24 years old) told AFP that he would “cry for a bit” over a game he had played for more than two years while at university. The move ends a long-running test of Fortnite made for China, where content was watched for excessive violence.
This action-packed shooter and world-building game is one of the most popular in the world. Fortnite has over 350 million users.
The Chinese test version was released in 2018. However, Fortnite never received the green light from the Chinese government to officially launch and monetize as approvals for new games slowed down.
The Chinese government has been pressing for a crackdown on the broader tech sector over the past year. China fears the technology sector is turning into a corporate giant that is too big and powerful to be difficult to control.
The Chinese government says children are spending too much time playing online games. Regulators are also targeting the large gaming sector with new age and playtime restrictions, while approval of new titles has slowed.
In September, hundreds of Chinese video game makers including Tencent pledged to closely monitor their products for “politically harmful” content. The company also imposes restrictions on underage players.
Beijing’s efforts to tighten its control over the economy and companies have hit a number of industries. Technology companies are bearing the heavy burden.
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