TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hong Kong is banning the circulation of the mobile game Reversed Front: Bonfire. The war-themed game was developed by ESC Taiwan and was launched last April. According to the South China Morning Post, as of Wednesday, June 11, 2025, the game no longer appears in search results.
What does the game entail?
As cited from National Public Radio (NPR), the Hong Kong Police stated that the game Reversed Front: Bonfire was intentionally created to provoke hatred towards the central authorities and Hong Kong government.
They warned that Hong Kong residents or companies intentionally publishing, distributing, or recommending the game could be considered inciting secession and subversion.
Developed by ESC Taiwan, the game allows players to pledge allegiance to groups such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Tibet, Kazakh, Uyghur, Manchuria, or the Rebel Alliance of Cathaysian and Southeast Asia with the goal to "overthrow the Communist regime."
On the other hand, players can also choose to lead the communist faction to defeat enemies and continue the communist revolution that has been ongoing for over a hundred years.
Government Response and Law Enforcement in Hong Kong
On Tuesday night, June 10, 2025, the Hong Kong police warned people against downloading and playing the game at risk of violating national security law, as the game is deemed to advocate "armed revolution."
This ban is enforced based on the implementation of the national security law imposed by Beijing. The rules empower the police to request digital platforms to remove access to games deemed to violate the law, according to NPR.
As reported by Independent, the Hong Kong police stated that the game Reversed Front: Bonfire was designed to support the idea of "Taiwan independence" and "Hong Kong independence," hence anyone who downloads the game could face legal action.
Furthermore, the official website of the game acknowledges the intentional similarity to the real institutions and policies of the People's Republic of China. Observers view this ban as evidence of the diminishing democratic freedom in Hong Kong under the influence of the Chinese Communist Party, which also restricts creativity in the gaming industry.
Game Developer's Response
On their official website, the game is referred to as a "work of nonfiction" with a statement that any similarity to the institutions, policies, or ethnic groups of the People's Republic of China is intentional.
ESC Taiwan has not provided an official comment regarding the ban. However, on the game's Instagram account, they posted a screenshot of a local news report assessing the game as a violation of national security, while also thanking them for introducing the game to the Hong Kong public. The post had a casual tone, perhaps because the game is not yet very popular.
Although the number of downloads has not been announced, as of Wednesday, the game has only garnered less than 360 reviews on the Apple and Google app stores.
Nevertheless, the police attention towards the game did not surprise Maya Wang, the China Director of Human Rights Watch. According to her, Hong Kong has become the primary focus of suppression by the Chinese Communist Party in recent years.
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