Hong Kong warns citizens over mobile game 'advocating armed revolution'

Published on 11/06/2025 - 10:40 GMT+2

Police successful Hong Kong person warned citizens against downloading aliases sharing a mobile crippled that allows players to "overthrow nan communist regime", saying that they could beryllium punished nether nationalist information laws.

Authorities said that those who download nan crippled Reversed Front: Bonfire "may beryllium regarded arsenic successful possession of a publication that has a seditious intention".

Police person besides warned group against providing backing to nan developer of nan mobile app.

"Reversed Front: Bonfire was released nether nan guise of a crippled pinch nan purpose of promoting secessionist agendas specified arsenic 'Taiwan independence' and 'Hong Kong independence,’ advocating equipped gyration and nan overthrow of nan basal strategy of nan People’s Republic of China," constabulary said.

The warning, nan first to denounce a video game, suggests that rule enforcement is widening nan crackdown that has followed anti-government protests successful 2019.

Authorities person silenced galore dissenting voices done prosecutions nether nan 2020 nationalist information rule imposed by Beijing and similar, homegrown authorities enacted past year.

The Beijing and Hong Kong governments insist nan city's nationalist information laws were basal to return stableness to nan metropolis pursuing nan protests.

Reversed Front: Bonfire was developed by ESC Taiwan, which has not straight commented connected nan police's warning. However, connected nan application's Facebook page, nan developer posted astir an summation successful Google searches for nan game's sanction and a Hong Kong broadcaster’s news study astir Tuesday’s development.

According to nan game's website, players tin presume nan domiciled of Hong Kong, Tibet, Uyghur, Taiwan aliases Cathaysian Rebel factions, among others, to "overthrow nan communist regime". They whitethorn besides take to lead nan communists to conclusion each enemies.

The website says nan crippled "is a activity of non-fiction. Any similarity to existent agencies, policies aliases taste groups of nan PRC [People's Republic of China] successful this crippled is intentional".

As of Wednesday, nan crippled — which was released successful April — could nary longer beryllium recovered connected Apple's App Store from Hong Kong.

The developer past period said Google Play had taken nan app down because it did not prohibit users from adopting hateful connection successful naming.

Apple, Google and Meta person not instantly commented.