On Nintendo Switch, Capcom has replaced the flag of Hong Kong with the flag China in Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, which is included in the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection. The game, first released in 1994, features a character from Hong Kong named Fei Long, who is based on Bruce Lee.
In the original Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Fei Long's flag in the character select screen is the British Hong Kong standard. The flag was changed in subsequent entries after the transfer of sovereignty to China in 1997. In addition, the Rising Sun design on the back wall of E. Honda's stage in Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo has been deleted due its link to Imperial Japan, though Street Fighter in Capcom Arcade Stadium still uses the USSR flag for Zangief.
In recent years, China has wielded extreme power over video games, even forcing Blizzard to suspend professional Hearthstone player Blitzchung after he expressed support for Hong Kong on the Hearthstone Grandmasters stream. In response, several Hearthstone players threatened to boycott Blizzard, while numerous employees walked out carrying umbrellas, a symbol of resistance in the Hong Kong protest.
In addition, US senators, Ron Wyden and Marco Rubio, as well as representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mike Gallagher and Tom Malinowski, sent a letter to Blizzard, asking that the suspension be lifted. The letter said that, given Blizzard's importance in the gaming community, the decision to suspend Blitzchung "could have a chilling effect on gamers who seek to use their platform to promote human rights and basic freedoms."
Devotion, a first-person psychological horror video game created and developed by Taiwanese game developer Red Candle Games for Steam in 2019, was banned after Chinese players protested over a negative reference to China's president, Xi Jinping, in the game. Meanwhile, in 2020, Animal Crossing New Horizons was banned in China after players posted pro-Hong Kong signs in the game.
Recently, China censored a number of words in Genshin Impact, developed by Shanghai-based studio miHoYo, including Taiwan and Hong Kong. In response to China’s censorhip, Cai Wu, head of China's Ministry of Culture, has said, "We want to open the window a crack to get some fresh air, but we still need a screen to block the flies and mosquitoes."
Source: EuroGamer