If Battlefield didn't have enough problems as it is, the game is now banned from sale in China starting this week due to the supposed discrediting of China's national image in the futuristic plot line. The game is now deemed as a threat to national security in China.
According to SlashGear, the Chinese Ministry wants the game removed from physical shelves as quickly as possible, as well as all local online vendors. The Chinese ministry also wants the game uninstalled from consoles and PCs, as the game is now deemed illegal.
The Chinese Ministry claims that Battlefield 4 is "an illegal game, with content that endangers national security, and is all about a cultural invasion. Battlefield 4 relevant available downloads, patches, news, and other requirements [shall be] deleted within 24 hours."
The banning is based on the Battlefield 4: China Rising expansion pack that contains four maps on the Chinese mainland, new vehicles, new high-tech equipment, and ten new assignments. The plot consists of a fictional war in China stirred up by Admiral Chang who is out to topple the current government. Eventually, China and the U.S. team up to fight a common enemy.
News of the banning follows a report made by Chinese state-run newspaper China Military that said Battlefield 4 "smears China's image" and is a form of "cultural invasion." The country's biggest social media website, Weibo.com, is already censoring out "ZhanDi4," the Chinese translation for Battlefield 4. ZDNet reports that online users are still passing Battlefield 4 around via peer-to-peer download links.
Last week the law office of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP submitted a class action lawsuit against Electronic Arts in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The lawsuit is on behalf of Electronic Arts common shareholders, and claims that Electronic Arts allegedly issued "materially false" and "misleading" statements highlighting the purported strength of the company's rollout of Battlefield 4.
Battlefield 4 was reportedly plagued with major technical bugs and glitches across all platforms at launch. The problems were bad enough to force developer DICE into putting all other projects on hold until Battlefield 4 was working properly across the field.
"We know many of our players are frustrated, and we feel your pain," EA told IGN. "We will not stop until this is right."
