Between virtual insurrection and very real repression, this new mobile game triggers the agitation in Beijing
Discreetly released then quickly withdrawn from the platforms in Hong Kong, Reversed Front: Bonfire is not a simple military strategy game. Developed by an independent Taiwanese studio, he places the player in a highly explosive scenario. Organize an insurrection against the Chinese Communist Party (PCC), alongside factions representing Taîwan, Hong Kong, Tibet or even Uighurs. A political context as fictitious as it is deliberately provocative.
Unlike the usual prudence of Asian games vis-à-vis Chinese censorship, Reserved Front claims its positioning. On its home page, the game specifies that ” Any resemblance to agencies, policies or ethnic groups of the People’s Republic of China is intentional“. A way to clearly point out your political objective. Make it think mobilized through video games.
The player embodies a rebellious commander responsible for freeing oppressed territories and overthrowing the communism regime in place. The missions are linked in a modern guerrilla warfare atmosphere, combining strategy, tactics and committed narration.
An immediate reaction to Hong Kong
Unsurprisingly, Beijing did not appreciate the process. In Hong Kong, where the 2020 national security law allows severe repression of any attempt deemed “secessionist”, Reversed Front: Bonfire was described as ” national security threat By local police. The authorities warned that the game ” encouraged the armed revolution” , And Anyone downloading it could expose themselves to criminal proceedings.
In stride, The game disappeared from the Google Play Store then the App Store a few days after its publication. The developer confirmed these withdrawals, while welcoming an explosion of interest in his game. On the official Facebook page of Reversed Frontthe team welcomed a sharp increase in download queries as soon as the prohibition was announced.
The reaction of the authorities highlights the extreme sensitivity of certain subjects in China: The independence of Taiwan, the situation of Uighurs in Xinjiang, tensions in Tibet or democratic aspirations in Hong Kong. In Reversed Frontall these causes are represented and converge around a common struggle. Authoritarian oppression.
Video games, a new protest tool?
This is not the first time that a video game has become a reason for political discourse. But Reversed Front: Bonfire Go further. He openly assumes his activism. This Taiwanese game takes up position with deliberate clarity. It makes it possible to question the role of video games in our societies where a simple entertainment tool can potentially lead to resistance ideas.
In China and Hong Kong, censorship now extends to all supports, press, cinema, literature and now video games. Reversed Front may be just a game but He proves that in an ultra-connected era, even fiction shakes up authority.
