Fortnite is tapping out in China. The stunningly famous battle-royale game, developed by Epic Games, will close down its local Chinese version on Nov. 15, as indicated by an update on its website.
Clients were kept from registering for new accounts beginning Nov. 1.
Epic didn’t give a particular motivation to why it was closing down Fortnite in China.
“Fortress Night,” the Chinese version of the game, was launched in 2018 through a partnership with publisher Tencent. The Shenzhen-based tech giant is a huge investor in Epic, claiming a 40% stake in the firm.
The game in fact never had a full launch in China. All things considered, it was playable in a “test” mode, barring a few features from the main version like in-app purchases.
“The battle royale genre has been strictly regulated in China,” Daniel Ahmad, senior analyst at Niko Partners, tweeted. “The domestic games that are approved there have heavy content changes.”
China is known for its firm grasp over the video game sector. Games need to go through a strict approval process prior to carrying out in the country, with Western titles frequently needed to be vigorously censored.
Recently, Beijing presented significantly more stringent controls over gaming, with the government restricting the time under-18s can play online to only three hours per week.
Epic Games is the most recent U.S. organization to quit China recently, as the nation sets out on a furious regulatory crackdown on its tech sector.
Last month, Microsoft-owned social network LinkedIn said it was shutting its local version in China due to a “significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements.”
The organization plans to rather launch a job search site in China — without any social media features.
