Hong Kong police accuse mobile game of promoting ‘armed revolution’
HONG KONG — Hong Kong police on Tuesday warned people against downloading and using a gaming app that it says advocates “armed revolution” and the overthrow of the “fundamental system” of Mainland China.
Anyone who downloads or uses the app, or makes in-app purchases in it, would be violating the city’s controversial national security law, the police said in a statement on Tuesday.
The crackdown on the gaming app and its users is just the latest in what democracy and human rights advocates say is an erosion of Hong Kong’s civil rights and freedoms since Beijing implemented a sweeping national security law on the city in 2020. Hong Kong beefed up the law last year, passing legislation that toughened punishment for dissent, including life in prison for acts considered insurrectionist.
Hong Kong police say the mobile game Reversed Front: Bonfire intentionally provokes hatred towards central authorities and the Hong Kong government. Hong Kong residents or companies who knowingly publish the gaming app, share it or recommend it to others may be seen as inciting secession and subversion, authorities warned.
The game, published by ESC Taiwan, allows players to “pledge allegiance to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Tibet, Kazakhs, Uyghur, Manchuria or the Rebel Alliance of Cathaysian and Southeast Asia to overthrow the Communist regime,” according to the game’s website. Or players can “choose to lead the Communists to defeat all enemies, and resume the century-long march of the Communist revolution.”
The game’s website calls it a work of nonfiction. “Any similarity to actual agencies, policies or ethnic groups of the [People’s Republic of China] in this game is INTENTIONAL,” the website states.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But on the game’s Instagram page, the company posted a screenshot of a local TV news report about the game being labeled a national security violation, and thanked the broadcaster for introducing the game to all of Hong Kong.
The tongue-in-cheek post may be a reference to the fact that the game does not appear to be very popular.
The number of downloads is not public, but as of Wednesday the game has fewer than 360 ratings on the Apple and Google app stores combined. Popular mobile game apps, such as Call of Duty or Block Blast, have millions of ratings.
Opinion: The immorality of betting on war
Traders on prediction markets bet on nearly anything. One made more than half a million dollars betting on the U.S. strike against Iran. But should people wager on human suffering?
Alabama man facing execution for deadly robbery asks for clemency as he didn’t kill victim
Charles “Sonny” Burton is scheduled to be executed March 12 for his role in a 1991 robbery in which a man was fatally shot. His supporters and attorney are asking the governor for clemency, arguing that his life should be spared because Burton didn’t fire the gun or witness the killing.
Curling had its moment at the Olympics and now Paralympics. It sparked a curling bonanza in America
Hundreds of people become interested in curling every four years and the 2026 numbers already show that boom.
One week into the Iran war, the fallout is global
The war is no longer just about the U.S., Israel and Iran. More countries are getting caught in the political crossfire or being drawn into the fighting themselves.
Iran’s president defies U.S. demands while apologizing for strikes on neighbors
President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday that a demand by the U.S. for an unconditional surrender is a "dream that they should take to their grave." He also apologized for Iran's attacks on regional countries.
What the Trump administration says about why it went to war with Iran
The Trump administration says it is "laser focused" and mission driven, but the messaging has been varied. The range of cited motivations for striking Iran now are sometimes at odds with each other.
