Without citing any specific reasons, Chinese regulators have removed Monster Hunter World from sales. The only issue revealed is that regulatory officials have received "a large number of complaints" about the content, but with no more specific information it remains to be seen what precisely has caused the issue. Tencent will be offering nearly 1M pre-order customers a refund of $44 per copy. Customers will need to apply for the refund before August 20th.
According to The Star Online, the yanking of the game from sale less than a week after launch is indicative of "beijing's tightened controls over online content".
The abrupt removal of the Capcom title comes amid a months-long hiatus in government approvals for upcoming titles. The State Administration of Radio and Television, in charge of monitoring games and other entertainment content, has not issued licenses to any new games since March 28, which contributed to a slowdown in China’s gaming market. Revenue was up 5% in the first half, the first single digit growth in at least a decade.
Tencent has yet to offer a statement.
Read more at the link above.
