Google removes Hong Kong protests-simulating game from app store

U.S. Internet giant Google on Thursday suspended from its Google Play digital distribution service the new The Revolution of Our Times role-playing mobile app game that simulates the ongoing protest movement in Hong Kong.

The app was suspended after it was considered to have violated the platform’s “sensitive events policy”, the media reported.

According to the HKFP news outlet, the Android-only game was suspended on Tuesday, only three days after its release on Saturday.

The game’s developer, who goes by the pseudonym Spinner of Yarns, did not receive any warning from Google before the suspension and has appealed the decision. The game is a choice-based story where the protagonist participates in the ongoing Hong Kong protests and can buy protective gear and weapons.

The creator had pledged to give 80 percent of the proceeds to the Spark Alliance, a legal fund for people who were arrested in the Hong Kong protests.

Some users have criticised Google for siding with China in its decision to censor the game, while others maintain that the decision is legitimate as it corresponds to the U.S. company’s policies on not capitalising on tragic events or conflicts.

Massive protests in Hong Kong, triggered by the now-shelved controversial extradition bill, have persisted for almost four months and turned more violent since the beginning of October.

This is just as protesters called for the local government to meet their remaining demands, including universal suffrage and an independent investigation into alleged police brutality. The demands did not include calls for independence.

Beijing has suggested that foreign interference caused the political crisis in Hong Kong and expressed full support for the actions of the local authorities.