Hong Kong warns citizens over mobile game 'advocating armed revolution'
Hong Kong authorities have said people who download or share the game Reversed Front: Bonfire could be prosecuted under national security laws.
Police in Hong Kong have warned citizens against downloading or sharing a mobile game that allows players to "overthrow the communist regime", saying that they could be punished under national security laws.
Authorities said that those who download the game Reversed Front: Bonfire "may be regarded as in possession of a publication that has a seditious intention".
Police have also warned people against providing funding to the developer of the mobile app.
"Reversed Front: Bonfire was released under the guise of a game with the aim of promoting secessionist agendas such as 'Taiwan independence' and 'Hong Kong independence,’ advocating armed revolution and the overthrow of the fundamental system of the People’s Republic of China," police said.
The warning, the first to denounce a video game, suggests that law enforcement is widening the crackdown that has followed anti-government protests in 2019.
Authorities have silenced many dissenting voices through prosecutions under the 2020 national security law imposed by Beijing and similar, homegrown legislation enacted last year.
The Beijing and Hong Kong governments insist the city's national security laws were necessary to return stability to the city following the protests.
Reversed Front: Bonfire was developed by ESC Taiwan, which has not directly commented on the police's warning. However, on the application's Facebook page, the developer posted about an increase in Google searches for the game's name and a Hong Kong broadcaster’s news report about Tuesday’s development.
According to the game's website, players can assume the role of Hong Kong, Tibet, Uyghur, Taiwan or Cathaysian Rebel factions, among others, to "overthrow the communist regime". They may also choose to lead the communists to defeat all enemies.
The website says the game "is a work of non-fiction. Any similarity to actual agencies, policies or ethnic groups of the PRC [People's Republic of China] in this game is intentional".
As of Wednesday, the game — which was released in April — could no longer be found on Apple's App Store from Hong Kong.
The developer last month said Google Play had taken the app down because it did not prohibit users from adopting hateful language in naming.
Apple, Google and Meta have not immediately commented.
By AFP
June 11, 2025
Police said downloading the mobile game could be in breach of the national security law, which Beijing imposed on Hong Kong after huge pro-democracy protests -
Hong Kong police have warned downloading a mobile game in which players can attempt to overthrow a stand-in for China’s Communist Party could constitute a national security crime, as it vanished from Apple’s local App Store Wednesday.
Beijing is extremely sensitive to even subtle hints of dissent, and in 2020 imposed a national security law in Hong Kong that has effectively quashed any political opposition.
In “Reversed Front: Bonfire”, developed by a Taiwan-based company, users can “pledge allegiance” to entities including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet and “Uyghur” to “overthrow the communist regime”.
Although the game takes place in a historically different universe, the description reads: “This game is a work of NON-FICTION. Any similarity to actual agencies, policies or ethnic groups of the PRC (People’s Republic of China) in this game is INTENTIONAL.”
On Tuesday police in Hong Kong said “Reversed Front” was “advocating armed revolution” and promoting Taiwan and Hong Kong independence “under the guise of a game”.
Downloading the game could see players charged with possessing seditious material, while making in-app purchases could be viewed as providing funding to the developer “for the commission of secession or subversion”, police warned.
Recommending the game could constitute the offence of “incitement to secession”.
Although players can choose to “lead the Communists to defeat all enemies”, the game description makes clear they are meant to be the villains.
The Communists are described as “heavy-handed, reckless and inept” and accused of “widespread corruption, embezzlement, exploitation, slaughter and defilement”.
Many of the other playing roles correspond to flashpoint issues for Beijing — including self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, and Xinjiang, where it has denied accusations of human rights abuses against the minority Muslim Uyghurs.
Hong Kong’s vibrant civil society and political opposition have all but vanished since the imposition of the national security law, which was brought in after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.
OpenAI last week said it had detected and banned a number of “likely China-origin” accounts targeting “Reversed Front” with negative comments.
“The network generated dozens of critical comments in Chinese about the game, followed by a long-form article claiming it had received widespread backlash,” said OpenAI.
On Wednesday Apple appeared to have removed the game from the Hong Kong version of the App Store, after it had been available the day before, an AFP reporter saw.
It was not available on Hong Kong’s Google Play on Tuesday, local media reported.
But the game’s developer said it had seen a surge in searches since Tuesday’s police announcement, jokingly implying it was thankful to authorities for the visibility boost.
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