Sport Interactive's latest soccer opus 2005 has been banned in China, amid government complaints that the game is a threat to the nation's "sovereignty and territorial integrity", and insisting that they have received strong complaints from Chinese gamers about the product. The argument arose because Hong Kong Macau, Taiwan and Tibet are listed in the game as separate countries; and we know the Chinese can be a tad tetchy about border-related issues. Ahem.

Chinese law is reportedly breached by the new game, and fines of up to $3,600 could be levied against those found distributing it or enabling gamers to play it. Sports Interactive, and local partner however have countered arguing that the version in question is pirated and was not released by them - which seems plausible given how rife the problem is in the People's Republic.

"To give Chinese consumers the best management game experience, Football Manager 2005 is being localised into simplified Chinese," Sega grovelled. "We will follow the correct submission and approval process within and look forward to feedback from the Chinese authorities on any modifications that may be required," they added. More on this soon.

By Luke Guttridge

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  1. oldmagroin Unregistered 2 years ago

    the chinese government is a dictatorship and im glad i dont live there