(Featured Image – Nintendo)
As reported by Reuters, The latest entry into the Animal Crossing franchise has been removed from Chinese grey e-commerce sites following the use of the game by some players to protest.
The Nintendo Switch was only recently was made available for purchase in China through a partnership with Nintendo and the region’s gaming juggernaut Tencent. Even then, games are censored in the region, including online interactions, for things that go against China’s “moral” guidelines. Animal Crossing itself doesn’t have multiplayer features in the region, instead, it is foreign copies purchased through grey market sites/platforms that offer the functionality.
Animal Crossing is suspected to have come under fire due to players, most notably pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong’s, use of Animal Crossing to speak out against the Chinese government. Wong shared images of his island adorned with a “free Hong Kong, Revolution now” banner. It was then other users showed their own protest setups that they had in the game.
With no official word yet from the Chinese government on why the game was removed and if it was an action done by the companies willingly, it is such a shock that the adorable game connecting people during this difficult time has struck someone’s nerve.
What do you think?
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