PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds May Be Banned In China

Bluehole studio’s flagship and worldwide phenomena, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds may lose out on the worlds biggest market China. Through a press release from the China Audio and Video and Numeral Publishing Association, the regulatory board is likely going to ban Bluehole Studio’s game in China for its content that is considered violent and immoral according to local regulation.

The reasoning for the ban is that the content is similar to Gladiator battles in the arenas of Ancient Rome, and the goal of the survival of a single individual, the heart of the game, is contrary to the moral principles of the Chinese Republic.

As a result, the association recommends all local development studios not to work on battle royale games, and to avoid promoting such content in esport competitions or live streams.

It’s pretty disappointing news – especially considering China basically houses nearly half the world’s population – that’s a huge market to be missing out on.

Perhaps Bluehole Studios will be willing to change the game to fit in with China’s ideological standpoint of the game? Although if the main issue stems from the Battle-royale genre, Chinese gamers may never get the chance to play it.

(via Quartz)