Resident Evil 2 Gets Banned in China, Now Being Sold as ‘Fried Cold Rice 2’ on Taobao

Chinese video game retailers and online sellers are reportedly using some clever tactics to circumvent China’s strict policy towards gaming.

Since video games are heavily censored in China, foreign titles with nudity, blood, and gore, among others, are likely going to get banned by the government.

To get around the ban, some online vendors are reportedly disguising the banned games under new titles, or with hand-drawn cover art, reports Abacus news.

For instance, the recently released remake of “Resident Evil 2” which stars Leon S. Kennedy on his first day of duty as a police officer in Raccoon City is being sold under the code name “First Day on the Job at the Police Station: Remake” on Taobao.

Sellers also sell the same game under other names such as “Fried Cold Rice 2”, “Come Beat Me 2”, or “Biochemical Crisis” (referencing the official Japanese name, Biohazard). It is also sold simply as “January 25th,” which was the game’s official launch date in China.

Other vendors sometimes user a cover from a different game but use wordplay to hint at the real game. To sell “Resident Evil 2,” one seller uses a cover of “Little Nightmares” just adding the word “remake” on the title, while another uses an image from “Plants vs Zombies.”

In the past, games such as Battlefield 4 and Diablo 3 were also sold under new names and artwork to fly under the radar of government censors. Some vendors reportedly sold “Battlefield 4” as “Boyfriend Storm” while “Diablo 3” was sold as “Demon Buddy” and “Big Pineapple.”

Blizzard was also able to sell the official game in China by removing blood and gore and teaming up with local game company NetEase.

Featured image via HK01

Share this Article