Guilty Gear Strive has a detailed in-game vocabulary to help you comprehend its complicated, global plot. However, gamers noticed late last month that one article had been changed to eliminate allusions to less fanciful aspects of Chinese history.
Patch 1.03, which arrived shortly after launch, was mostly uneventful. However, fans on ResetEra (via Eurogamer) have discovered an unnoticed modification in the update, rewording two phrases on a lore article about “International relations following the Crusades” to delete references to Taiwan, Tibet, and Uyghur.
The first sentence was changed to remove references to Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore, and originally read: “Countries with high population density and a proclivity to import their foods, such as Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore, could not solve their nation’s problems solely through the availability of energy.”
“China has further expanded their borders to encompass Uyghur, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Mongolia, and Siberia – regions with lower populations but a lot of natural resources,” the second cut mention of specific region names from the following: “China has further expanded their borders to encompass Uyghur, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Mongolia, and Siberia – regions with lower populations but a lot of natural resources.”
At the time of writing, neither Bandai Namco nor Arc System Works had provided an explanation for the change (Eurogamer reports that it was unable to obtain a response from either, and I’ve since made my own request for feedback). However, whether directly or indirectly, there is a strong suspicion that these alterations were done to secure the game’s acceptability in China—a country with rigorous game publishing laws.
Other nations, such as Australia and China, keep their names in the copy. However, given the allegations of genocide against the Uyghur people, rumors of mass labor camps in Tibet, and rising tensions between China and Taiwan, Bandai Namco may be deciding to play it safe.
