China Bans English in Mobile Games, Developers Pissed

Game developers are furious at new regulations recently launched by China's censorship bureau, SAPPRFT, according to TechInAsia. 

The new rules force developers to submit their games to the bureau before release, with games already on the market required to receive retroactive approval by October.

Since the new rules went into effect on July 1, some developers have already reported rejections from SAPPRFT. Some have allegedly been turned down on the basis that their games contained English phrases.

Developers, naturally, are pissed. One developer's rant went viral earlier this week after his game was forbidden for containing simple English phrases like "mission start/complete." Another said that his game was rejected for containing the terms "go" and "lucky."

TechInAsia reports that games containing traditional Chinese characters are also being rejected.

“With these new regulations, all independent game developers and small enterprises will be driven out of the market, with no glimmer of hope for survival,” Shanghai-based developer Chen Yu told Sixth Tone.

[Image via LinkedIn]