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China suspends Tencent from updating or launching apps in Mainland China

Apps and games remain functional

China suspends Tencent from updating or launching apps in Mainland China

China has suspended Tencent from updating existing apps or launching new apps in Mainland China.

As reported by South China Morning Post, the suspension is part of a "temporary administrative guidance" directed at the tech titan.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology informed platforms and app stores to enact the order from Wednesday.

Currently, there are more than 70 apps and 100 games operated by Tencent and its mobile games division. Despite the suspension, its apps and games remain functional and available to download.

Unkown length

The suspension is the first direct action taken against the Honor of Kings publisher, following state media branding its flagship title a "spiritual opium" earlier this year.

In August, Tencent issued a statement forewarning investors of increased regulations and restrictions in China, expressing intent to remain fully compliant with all future regulations.

A spokesperson for Tencent responded in a statement: "We are continuously working to enhance user protection features within our apps, and also have regular cooperation with relevant government agencies to ensure regulatory compliance. Our apps remain functional and available for download."

It is currently unknown how long the suspension will last and the Chinese Ministry has not published any information regarding the ban.

Tencent recently reported its Q3 2021 financial report which detailed how recent restrictions had negatively impacted its domestic growth.


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