China’s crackdown on the fun industry continues

In china’s world of video-game warcraft the phrase chong ta describes the storming of a castle before you are equipped with the right weapons and armour. More recently the term has been used to refer to an equally foolhardy and even more treacherous act: posting risky comments or content on Chinese social media knowing full well that this will incur the wrath of censors, or even higher-level officials.

NetEase, a Chinese games developer, is familiar enough with the first meaning. Chong ta is, after all, a staple of “Diablo Immortal”, a hugely popular role-playing game set in medieval times. The firm was due to release the Chinese version of the game, developed together with Activision Blizzard, an American gaming giant, on June 23rd. On June 19th it delayed the roll-out, supposedly to further optimise the new version, prompting a 10% slide in its share price. Rumours swirled that chong ta’s second interpretation played a role.