There has been an outcry amongst government regulators in China over a video game where players hunt vicious creatures. Monster Hunter World on PC, developed by Capcom and published by Tencent in China, launched on 9th August 2018 worldwide. However, it has now been pulled from Chinese storefronts.
Monster Hunter World represents one of the biggest blockbuster titles to appear on China’s WeGame platform, even launching at the same time as Steam’s PC release. Some days after, the game was promptly taken down. The Chinese government cites “a large number of complaints” about the game’s content, according to Tencent.
Details on what content was offensive, specifically, is unknown. China doesn’t play well with violence, however, so some guesses point towards the depiction of skeletons and corpses throughout the game as a good reason.
With Monster Hunter World for PC charting a record as the biggest launch on Steam in 2018, it’s a little unfortunate that most in China will have to miss out. The game even achieved more than one million pre-orders prior to its launch on WeGame last week.
This also represents a setback for Tencent in light of a planned expansion of its WeGame platform. An international version of WeGame is to be launched in Hong Kong, which will compete with Valve’s Steam PC platform. However, weakening PC sales and the failure to capitalise on a big game such as Monster Hunter is sure to set things back.
Gamers who purchased the title can apply for a full refund before 20th August 2018. The game is playable for those who already bought it, but WeGame can’t guarantee that it will stay that way. WeGame is also offering a 30 yuan (RM17.85) coupon to buyers as compensation.
(Source: South China Morning Post)
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