Epic pulls the plug on Fortnite in China – TechCrunch

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Epic Games announced today that its work to bring the mega video game title Fortnite to the Chinese market is closing.

The company said in an official announcement that the long-running test of the popular shooter title in China will conclude on November 15. New users will not be accepted starting today.

Tencent, a Chinese internet giant, owns a stake in Epic Games, along with full ownership of Riot Games, another American games company with international gaming success in its portfolio.

China’s gaming industry has come under new regulatory scrutiny in recent months, with the national government working to limit gaming time among young people. The impact of the Chinese Communist Party’s shift to fewer hours of play among its younger population is still unclear, but the decision may have made Fortnite’s construction economics for China.

Epic had built a specific version of Fortnite for China, it was a variation of the title well known in the rest of the world. A player-based wiki details a number of differences, including changes to gameplay and monetization, along with different character graphics to meet local laws. The same article notes that after a certain period of playing time, users could no longer earn in-game experience points.

The decision to stop Fortnite China could be seen as a response to the country’s changing gaming market. With even more restrictions on playtime and fewer monetization possibilities due to microtransaction restrictions, the math simply hasn’t been clarified.

To see another American company withdraw its popular product from the Chinese digital realm in the wake of LinkedIn’s decision the other month is remarkable. The two moves underscore how difficult it can be for non-Chinese companies to offer products within the nation, even if they have a local sample.

The other cultural contents are not faring much better. The recent Marvel movie “Eternals” doesn’t seem ready to be released in the country, possibly due to its director, Chloé Zhao, who was born in Beijing, making comments that some have interpreted as being critical of the nation.

The regulatory environment and diminished ability or interest to bring global films and games to China will further isolate the country from international culture. And, perhaps, on the contrary, limiting China’s ability to gain soft power through its own cultural creations.

Regardless, for Chinese Fortnite fans, their ability to play without using tricks to circumvent Chinese authorities is coming to an end.

Epic Games does not comment on the closure other than the following statement shared with players in China (translated into English below):

To Fortnite China players:

The Fortnite China beta test will end and the servers will be shut down soon. For details, see below:

On Monday 1st November at 11am we will close the new entrance portal for user registration and game download;

On Monday, November 15th at 11am we will deactivate the servers for Fortnite and players will no longer be able to connect to the game via the WeGame client.

Thanks to all Fortnite China players who rode the Battle Bus with us by participating in the Beta.

If you have any questions or suggestions about shutting down servers, please click here to send us feedback.

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