(TibetanReview.net, Jun13’25) – Citing a draconian security law imposed by Beijing, police in Hong Kong – which is supposedly autonomous with democratic freedoms and government system – have warned residents against downloading a mobile game application which gives players options to fight for independence for Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet, etc. At least 45 democracy activists have been jailed for up to 10 years and hundreds of activists, journalists, and protesters have been arrested in Hong Kong recently under this law.
The Hong Kong police force also said Jun 10 that action had been taken under the 2020 Hong Kong national security law (The Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) to allow police to require the relevant electronic platforms to remove access to the game Reversed Front: Bonfire, which was developed by ESC Taiwan and launched in April, reported the scmp.com Jun 10.
Individuals who downloaded the app could be considered in possession of a seditious publication, contravening domestic security legislation titled Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, police have said.
“Reversed Front: Bonfire was released under the guise of a game with the aim of promoting secessionist agendas such as ‘Taiwan independence’ and ‘Hong Kong independence’, advocating armed revolution and the overthrow of the fundamental system of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] established by the constitution of the People’s Republic of China,” national security police have said.
“It also has an intention to provoke hatred towards the central authorities and the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.”
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In the game, players can assume the role of rebel factions in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Tibet, “Kazakhs”, “Uygur” or Manchuria, among others, to overthrow the communist regime.
Players can also lead the communists to defeat enemies and resume the communist revolution.
However, whichever side you choose, it could get you into trouble in Hong Kong, it seems, noted the rfa.org Jun 12.
The report cited the police force’s National Security Department, or NSD, as saying in its Jun 10 statement that any person who downloads the app would be in possession of a publication with a “seditious intention.”
The warning, apparently the first issued in Hong Kong against a gaming app, was the latest sign of a widening crackdown on basic freedoms that has ensued since massive anti-government protests that broke out six years ago. That movement was followed by the passage of the 2020 national security law imposed by Beijing and a law enacted by the Hong Kong legislature 2024, the report noted.
The game developer’s website has included a disclaimer, noting that the game is “a work of non-fiction”.
It has also said, “Any similarity to actual agencies, policies or ethnic groups of the PRC in this game is intentional.”
As of Jun 10 evening, the app could still be downloaded on Apple’s App Store but was not available on the Google Play Store, noted the scmp.com report.