The company Epic Games threw in the towel on Monday with the Chinese version of its popular video game Fortnite, after three years of trying to establish itself in the world’s largest market for online games, due to the measures adopted by the government to combat the addiction of young people to digital entertainment.
The company had announced two weeks ago that on November 15 it was going to shut down the Chinese version of the game, stating that “Fornite China Beta test has come to an end”, And disconnect the servers.
Users in China said on Monday they could no longer access the game, and posted farewells on the Weibo social network.
“Friends who have played with me, we will see each other again if luck permits”Wrote a Weibo user.
Another identified as Zheng, 24, said that “first I’m going to cry a little”For the game he had used for two years in college.
The decision ends Fortnite’s extensive trial period created for China, where there is a strict surveillance of violent content.
The action video game, with shootouts and world-building, is one of the most popular in the world with more than 350 million users, greater than the population of the United States.
The video game started in China in 2018 on a trial basis, but it never received a definitive authorization from the government for its launch and commercialization.
The decision to suspend play comes at a time when China tightens the rules for the digital sector.
Video games represent an important source of income in China, but are criticized for being addictive for young people.
Severe controls
In August, authorities imposed a drastic limit of three hours of video games per week on those under 18 years of age, when some could spend entire days glued to the screen.
Fortnite is free to download but generates billions of dollars in revenue from the sale of additional items for the characters, particularly the costumes.
The game quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, to the point that some games are followed live by millions of viewers.
In September, hundreds of Chinese video game producers, including Tencent, pledged to better monitor their products to avoid content.politically damaging”And restricting the age of players to comply with government regulations.
Ni Epic ni Tencent, the Chinese gaming and messaging giant, initially responded to AFP’s inquiries about Fortnite.
Beijing’s attempts to tighten control over the economy hit several industries, particularly tech firms.
Given this, Microsoft announced in October that it would close the Chinese version of its social network aimed at professionals LinkedIn, while Yahoo decided weeks ago to withdraw from the country.
Both companies cited growing obstacles to doing business in China.
Foreign tech companies have had to balance to comply with strict local laws and government censorship of content.
Google it shut down its Chinese search engine in 2010 after refusing to comply with Beijing’s requirements to censor search results.
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