The curtain will soon fall for the Chinese version of Fortnite. Indeed, the popular game developed by Epic Games will no longer be available to Chinese players in mid-November. The Fortnite website has indeed indicated that the testing phase of the game is over and apparently it was inconclusive.
The Fortnite site also indicates that arrangements were made as of Monday 1is November 2021. Specifically, no more Chinese users can register or download the game. Epic Games has also announced that it will completely shut down Fortnite’s servers and prevent users from logging in from November 15th.
This is the latest event in what appears to be Fortnite’s long and thorny journey to China. Explanations.
Playing time for players under 18 is limited to 3 hours per week
While Epic Games was not keen to provide further information on what prompted its decision, The Verge believes it likely has to do with the new gambling restriction the Chinese government has put in place for children. . For information, since August, children under 18 are not allowed to play video games for more than three hours per week.
A glance at the Fortnite China wiki page is enough to show that the Chinese version of Fortnite is very different from the US version. For example, Chinese law prohibits the display of skulls in video games, so much so that Epic Games had to change the appearance of a number of items related to skulls.
In China, online games are considered spiritual opium
In general, China does not hide the fact that it takes a negative view of video games. Online games are particularly characterized as “spiritual opium” by the state-sponsored media. Note that this is hardly the first time that China has wanted to limit children’s playing time.
In 2019, China banned children from playing between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. and also limited children’s screen time to 90 minutes per week. According to the Fortnite China wiki page, if players played more than 90 minutes on weekdays, they were directly invited to study. Chinese tech giant Tencent has even launched a facial recognition system to detect children playing after curfew.
Perhaps weary of having to comply with these restrictions, Epic Games preferred to end their game in China. However, he thanked the players who “got on the bus” and participated in the game.
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Source From: Fredzone
I am a technology author with 8 years of experience in journalism. My writing covers the latest technology advancements and trends, drawing on my expertise in news journalism and social media platforms. I have contributed to major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters.
