Epic Games, the hugely popular “Fortnite,” video game developer, has announced that it will shut down the game’s Chinese servers in mid-November. As a result, young people in China will no longer be able to play the game.
Epic Games has not given an official reason for the decision, but the decision comes when the Chinese government is tightening the thumbscrews for the gaming industry.
In China, Epic Games is pulling the plug on the “Fortnite” phenomenon, which has millions of online fans around the world. Since November 1, new players from China can no longer register for the game, and those who now log in from the Asian country will be informed that the servers will be completely shut down from November 15.
The official statement from Epic Games reads that “the game’s trial version is coming to an end”, but the timing of the decision suggests there’s more to it.
On September 1, the Chinese government took drastic measures to regulate large, fast-growing technology companies. However, the video game industry, which is of enormous financial importance in China, has not been spared but is often criticized for its addictive effect on young people.
Authorities imposed a drastic limit on three hours of video games per week for young people under the age of 18. They are only allowed to play online on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and on public holidays between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.
So the fact that Epic Games is just now deciding to stop supporting the game may have something to do with the restrictions on the gaming industry in China.
In mid-October, LinkedIn, Microsoft’s professional social networking platform, also announced that it would withdraw from China. In that decision, Microsoft referred to the “challenging environment” in the Asian country.
Microsoft did say that the platform would be replaced by a stripped-down version that would only focus on jobs and omit the social aspect. That new platform will be called InJobs.
