Tencent Sued Over 'Inappropriate' Content in Honor of Kings Game

It was stated that some Honor of Kings’ characters wore low-cut clothes and the game showed a lack of respect for traditional culture.

Tencent Sued Over 'Inappropriate' Content in Honor of Kings Game

Tencent has progressively lowered the recommended age limit for the game from 18 in 2017 to 12 this year

Highlights
  • Honor of Kings had a record 100 million daily active users worldwide
  • The suit coincides with an unprecedented antitrust crackdown by Beijing
  • China is preparing to fine Tencent for anticompetitive practices
Advertisement

 A Chinese public-interest group said on Tuesday it is suing Tencent over what it alleges is inappropriate content for minors in the top global game developer's flagship video game, Honor of Kings.

Beijing Teenagers Law Aid And Research Center said it filed the lawsuit in a Beijing court on Tuesday, to mark the implementation of an amended protection of minors law.

The suit, whose content Reuters could not independently confirm, also coincides with an unprecedented antitrust crackdown by Beijing on some of China's biggest tech companies that sources told Reuters includes Tencent.

The company, which declined to comment when contacted by Reuters, has progressively lowered the recommended age limit for the game from 18 in 2017 to 12 this year, the public-interest group said.

In a posting on its social media account, it said some of the game's characters wore low-cut clothes and that its storyline tampered with historical figures and showed a lack of respect for traditional culture - all of which made the game inappropriate for young users.

"Game characters' clothing is too revealing, while there is a lot of ... low-taste content that is inappropriate for teenagers on its website and forums," the group said in the posting.

An in-game raffle also made young players more likely to play the game for longer, it said.

Citing concerns about eye damage, Chinese authorities have sought to limit hours that teenagers can spend playing video games, and companies including Tencent have put in place anti-addiction systems that they say cap young users' game time.

Tencent said last November that Honor of Kings, which is free to download but has paid-for in-play content, had a record 100 million daily active users worldwide.

Sources told Reuters in April that China is preparing to fine Tencent, probably in excess of $1 billion (roughly Rs. 7,290 crores), for anticompetitive practices in some businesses and for not properly reporting past acquisitions for antitrust reviews.

© Thomson Reuters 2021


It's an all television spectacular this week on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, as we discuss 8K, screen sizes, QLED and mini-LED panels — and offer some buying advice. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Tencent, Honor of Kings
Redmi AirDots 3 Pro Could Be Rebranded as Poco Pop Buds or Redmi Buds 3 Pro in Global Markets
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »