Battlefield 4 Banned in China Over DLC

Battlefield 4 Banned in China Over DLC



While Battlefield 4 players across the globe are lamenting their inability to participate in the game’s multiplayer experience, one whole nation has seemingly dodged a bullet. Battlefield 4, DICE‘s latest entry in their hugely popular shooter franchise, has been banned in China.

Although Battlefield 4 has yet to reach Chinese shores for retail, the country has already decided to ban the game. Specifically, they cite Battlefield 4‘s China Rising DLC and the public perception the content creates as a major determining factor in the ban.

As Techie News reports, not only has Battlefield 4 the game been banned in China, all related promotional materials have been banned as well. To put it bluntly, China has labeled the game as illegal on the grounds that it endangers national security and encourages cultural aggression.

While the China Rising DLC is nothing more than a set of multiplayer maps and additions, there is a narrative packaged around the additional content. In China Rising’s alternate future, the year 2020 to be exact, China is at war with the U.S. after the fictional Admiral Chang makes moves to overthrow the existing Chinese government. It’s obviously a fictionalized conflict, but that isn’t necessarily the point.

Ultimately, since Battlefield 4 isn’t marketed or sold in China this issue shouldn’t amount to much, but considering the game’s poor reception as of late it’s worth mentioning. Just recently EA was hit with its third Battlefield 4-related lawsuit, which once again accused EA of misleading the public and investors with a broken product.

The lawsuits have painted Battlefield in such a bad light that some analysts suggest they have tarnished the franchise’s reputation. It’s unclear if that is true, but there’s no denying the inability to maintain a consistent experience is a huge problem, so much so that DICE has halted production on any future DLC.

And so there’s no way to know, even if the Chinese government allowed Battlefield 4 and Electronic Arts sold it in the country, that gamers would even be able to download the DLC let alone hop online to play it.

What do you think of China banning Battlefield 4? Is this just more bad press for the game?