Report: China bans Battlefield 4 on grounds of national security endangerment

[Bravofiveone]

Polygon.com
Report: China bans Battlefield 4 on grounds of national security endangerment
By Tracey Lien on Dec 27, 2013 at 10:00p


The Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China has reportedly banned Electronic Arts' Battlefield 4 on the grounds that it contains content that endangers national security, according to news outlets like China.com, QQ and an article on PCgames.com.cn that has since been taken down.


The Chinese websites cite a notice the Ministry of Culture recently issued that declared Battlefield 4 illegal. China.com posted what appears to be a screenshot of the notice to its website, which translates to:


Ministry of Culture: Battlefield 4 is an illegal video game, with content that endangers national security. It is an aggressive attack on our culture. After the ban of Battlefield 4, we demand that all items related to the game — downloads, Raiders, patches and news — are to be deleted.


Polygon has reached out to EA for comment, and we have contacted the Chinese Embassy to obtain an original copy of the notice. As of this writing, Chinese social media site Weibo has banned searches for the Chinese translation of Battlefield 4. Searches for the game are met with the message: "According to relevant laws, regulations and policies, 'Battlefield 4' search results are not displayed." Users of the service have taken to referring to the game as "BF4," a term which has not yet been blocked.


The reported ban on Battlefield 4 follows the recent launch of downloadable content, the China Rising map pack, which was released on Windows PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One earlier this month. The DLC features four maps across mainland China. Shortly after the launch of the DLC, editorials in the Chinese media criticized the game for being used to "discredit one country's image in the eyes of other countries," which it saw as "a new form of cultural penetration and aggression." Battlefield 4's campaign mode may have also been a source of aggravation, with the story focusing on an antagonist named Admiral Chang and his plight to overthrow the Chinese government, win the support of the Russians and start a war with the U.S.


SOURCE China.com
VIA ZDNet Sohu.com

[iamthesgt]

Lol. I'm not surprised.

[Rickety Rob]

Hahahaha!

That's hilarious

[obtainedpilot]

Hahaha!!!

Sent from my SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[JTFRYE]

Someone always has to get butthurt about video games.


Sent from my iphone 5s

[obtainedpilot]

Didn't they get butthurt over blackops 2? Or was that the middle east?

Sent from my SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[JTFRYE]

Didn't they get butthurt over blackops 2? Or was that the middle east?

Sent from my SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

it was the Joint Chiefs of Staff that got butthurt over medal of honor, they banned it being sold on bases, so the company went in and took out parts of the campaign and multiplayer where you played as an insurgent attacking american forces, so that it could be sold on bases worldwide.

[KaNtSt0PMeH]

Yeah its stupid. If I genuinely was offended by anything ever it is when people get offended too easily. Lol

[obtainedpilot]

I get offended genuinely by others stupidty. Lol

Sent from my SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[JTFRYE]

I get offended genuinely by others stupidty. Lol

Sent from my SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Agreed


Sent from my iphone 5s