Hong Kong authorities have banned the mobile game ‘Reversed Front: Bonfire,’ which allows players to express allegiance to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, or the Uyghurs, among others. This move comes amid tightened restrictions in the city as Beijing escalates its crackdown on dissent following the pro-democracy protests of 2019.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, police cautioned that downloading the game could lead to charges of possession of a publication with seditious intent. The game’s official site describes it as a “work of non-fiction” and states that any resemblance to actual entities, policies, or ethnic groups in the People’s Republic of China is intentional.
Players can also engage with the game as communists, battling opponents while supporting communist ideals. Additionally, police have warned against financially supporting the game’s developer, ESC Taiwan. In their statement, authorities claimed that ‘Reversed Front: Bonfire’ was released to promote secessionist agendas like ‘Taiwan independence’ and ‘Hong Kong independence.’ The police urged individuals who have downloaded the game to uninstall it immediately and to refrain from any actions that could contravene the law.
As of Wednesday, the game, which was launched in April, is no longer available on Google Play or the Apple App Store in Hong Kong. However, the ban appears to have unwittingly increased the game’s visibility, making it the most searched term on Google among Hong Kong users on the same day.
The developers of the game have leveraged media attention from the ban, stating that the game had become widely known in Hong Kong as a result of the situation.
The backdrop to this controversy is the national security law imposed by China in 2020, which critics argue has effectively criminalized dissent while the Chinese government claims it is essential for maintaining stability. This law, which prohibits secession, subversion, terrorism, and foreign collusion, was enacted in response to the massive protests in 2019.
Prominent pro-democracy figures, including media mogul Jimmy Lai and activist Joshua Wong, have faced charges or imprisonment under this law. While Hong Kong operates under the ‘one country, two systems’ framework, which promises a high degree of autonomy, critics assert that the implementation of the national security law undermines this principle. In contrast, both Beijing and Hong Kong maintain that the law supports the robust and faithful application of ‘one country, two systems.’