FOOTBALL MANAGER 2005 GETS RED CARD IN CHINA
Sports Interactive's sports strategy masterpiece banned for a two-footed tackle on China's 'sovereignty' - official Sega statement
The government of China has banned Sports Interactive's Football Manager 2005, asserting that the game poses a threat to the country's "sovereignty and territorial integrity."
While we can totally understand banning the unhealthily addictive footie management sim on the grounds that it constantly distracts us from our real lives, the Chinese Ministry of Culture has taken offence to the listing of the Taipei region of Taiwan, the Hong-Kong Macau region and Tibet as separate countries, rather than constituent parts of China.
This is in breach of Chinese law, which views Football Manager's individual listings as harmful to national identity. In a statement circulated by the government the Ministry of Culture has reported receiving "strong protests" from Chinese gamers who have played the game.
Funnily enough, Football Manager hasn't even been released in China but is already in circulation via pirated copies downloaded from the internet. The Chinese government has vowed to "investigate, confiscate and punish websites, computer software markets and Internet cafes, who disseminate or sell Football Manager 2005," with fines of up to $3,600.
Responding to the news, representatives for Sega, who are distributing the game in the UK and throughout Europe, said:
"We have been made aware of a press release from the Ministry of Culture in China and are reviewing the contents along with our local partner, Ubisoft. The press release appears to relate to "English language" product which is not intended for release in China, and appears to have reached China through piracy or unauthorised means. To give Chinese consumers the best football management game experience, Football Manager 2005 is being localised into simplified Chinese. We will follow the correct submission and approval process within China and look forward to feedback from the Chinese authorities on any modifications that may be required."
Football Manger 2005 is not the first game to fall foul of China's strict regulations: Codemaster's IGI-2: Covert Strike was banned in the country earlier this year for featuring the Chinese army in a negative light, and the Chinese government has made no secret of its intention to censor games that, in the words of newspaper China Daily, "hurt China's national dignity and interests".
It will be interesting to see if the fact that Football Manager 2005 is not yet on legitimate release in the country means it can gain a future release in an edited form. We'll keep you posted.
Sports Interactive's sports strategy masterpiece banned for a two-footed tackle on China's 'sovereignty' - official Sega statement
The government of China has banned Sports Interactive's Football Manager 2005, asserting that the game poses a threat to the country's "sovereignty and territorial integrity."
While we can totally understand banning the unhealthily addictive footie management sim on the grounds that it constantly distracts us from our real lives, the Chinese Ministry of Culture has taken offence to the listing of the Taipei region of Taiwan, the Hong-Kong Macau region and Tibet as separate countries, rather than constituent parts of China.
This is in breach of Chinese law, which views Football Manager's individual listings as harmful to national identity. In a statement circulated by the government the Ministry of Culture has reported receiving "strong protests" from Chinese gamers who have played the game.
Funnily enough, Football Manager hasn't even been released in China but is already in circulation via pirated copies downloaded from the internet. The Chinese government has vowed to "investigate, confiscate and punish websites, computer software markets and Internet cafes, who disseminate or sell Football Manager 2005," with fines of up to $3,600.
Responding to the news, representatives for Sega, who are distributing the game in the UK and throughout Europe, said:
"We have been made aware of a press release from the Ministry of Culture in China and are reviewing the contents along with our local partner, Ubisoft. The press release appears to relate to "English language" product which is not intended for release in China, and appears to have reached China through piracy or unauthorised means. To give Chinese consumers the best football management game experience, Football Manager 2005 is being localised into simplified Chinese. We will follow the correct submission and approval process within China and look forward to feedback from the Chinese authorities on any modifications that may be required."
Football Manger 2005 is not the first game to fall foul of China's strict regulations: Codemaster's IGI-2: Covert Strike was banned in the country earlier this year for featuring the Chinese army in a negative light, and the Chinese government has made no secret of its intention to censor games that, in the words of newspaper China Daily, "hurt China's national dignity and interests".
It will be interesting to see if the fact that Football Manager 2005 is not yet on legitimate release in the country means it can gain a future release in an edited form. We'll keep you posted.
