China appears to have banned Animal Crossing: New Horizons sales

China appears to have banned the sale of the Nintendo game Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The reason for this seems to be that some players use the designer to express political messages in the game.

The sale ban has not been announced publicly, but trading platform Taobao is said to have spread a message to traders using the platform. In addition, both the bundles with the Nintendo Switch and merchandise from the game should no longer be sold, in addition to the separate game. The Switch itself can still be sold, according to Pingwest. The ban revolves around imports, as Nintendo has not yet released a version of Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Chinese market.

Also, Chinese noted that social media pages where the game is discussed have been banned. For example, WeChat groups are closed discussing the game, or banning the game. However, it seems that Chinese who have bought the game can still use the online features in Animal Crossing.

According to Pingwest, Chinese have used the design feature in Animal Crossing: New Horizons to craft political messages. For example, slogans are spread about Hong Kong and political leaders are depicted. Protests would also be organized through the game. China is known for rigorously intervening in anti-government messages.