Guilty Gear -Strive- Update Removes References To Taiwan, Tibet, and Uyghur Region From In-Game Story Archives
Spencer Baculi
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A recent update to Arc System Works’ recently released Guilty Gear -Strive- has removed a mention of various entities viewed unfavorably by the Chinese government, including Taiwan, Tibet, and the Uyghur autonomous region, from one of the game’s in-game story recaps.
Source: GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- (2021), Arc System Works
In the version of the game originally released on June 11th, Guilty Gear -Strive- featured an in-game glossary entry on the state of “International Affairs after the Crusades,” an in-universe period of intense warfare between humans and Gears.
According to the entry as originally written, the century-long conflict had particularly devastating consequences for various Asian populations, leaving “countries that had high population density and tended to import their foods, such as Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore” unable to support or feed their own peoples.
Archive Link Source: /u/sodiummuffin, /r/KotakuInAction, Reddit
Not only that, but in the aftermath of the war, China “further expanded their borders to encompass, Uighir, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Mongolia, and Siberia – regions with lower populations but a lot of natural resources.”
“The influx of Chinese has caused the indigenous races and tribes’ population to diminish,” the glossary entry continues. “At the same time, they have increased their own territorial waters.”
Source: GUILTY GEAR Xrd -REVELATOR- (2015), Arc System Works
However, as seen in a screenshot shared to the /r/KotakuInAction subreddit by /u/sodiummuffins on June 22nd, ArcSys has since removed any reference to any of the aforementioned Asian nations.
Instead, the entry now simply refers to the various nations using only the vague umbrella terms “countries” and “regions,” though curiously still retains allusions to Post-Crusade Chinese imperialism.
It reads now, “The Federation of China has further expanded their to encompass nearby regions with lower populations but a lot of natural resources.”
Archive Link Source: /u/sodiummuffin, /r/KotakuInAction, Reddit
As of writing, it is unknown what specifically led ArcSys to make these edits, though they were likely done in response to an assumed backlash from Chinese players unhappy with the fact that the game made public mention of countries considered to be politically dissident by the CCP.
Further, it should also be noted that it currently remains unknown which of Guilty Gear -Strive-’s previously released patches resulted in the removal of the text, as none of the patch notes for the game’s 1.01, 1.02 or 1.03 updates make any note of any of the aforementioned changes being made to the game’s glossary.
Source: GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- (2021), Arc System Works
What do you make of these edits to Guilty Gear -Strive-’s in-game glossary? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!
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