A recent report by the Chinese Online Gaming Ethics Committee has leaked online, revealing a list of games, some of which have been penalized, and corrective action suggested for a few others. The list includes popular games like PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG), Fortnite and League of Legends. The list stretches on, suggesting corrective measures for several games like Diablo, World of Warcraft, Overwatch while requesting a blanket ban on games like Ring of Elysium, Paladins, and H1Z1.
A list leaked online on Reddit suggests that most games have been added to the list based on four main offenses – overly revealing female characters, blood and gore and vulgar content as well as inharmonious chatroom.
So far,11 games, including the three Blizzard titles Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and Diablo as well as Riot’s League of Legends have managed to evade a blanket ban. However,PUBG and Fortnite, as well as 9 others including Ring of Elysium, H1Z1 and Paldins haven’t been so lucky.
Local Chinese authorities have already confirmed the presence of PUBG and League of Legends in the list, though it seems that the offences listed are different from the leak.
Chinese authorities have always been strict about entertainment, being quick in censoring content that seem to go against their “values”. But a blanket ban on titles like PUBG and Fortnite will mean a direct hit to the playerbase, since China is a huge market for many publishers.
The repercussions are yet to be seen, since the ban apparently hasn’t been applied yet. Of course, there is always the possibility that talks and “adjustment” lead to an amiable solution.