During our recent turbulent times, playing video games is one of the best ways to regain some sense of normalcy. In mainland China, however, PlayStation players hoping to access the PSN Store are currently unable to do so because of alleged security issues. The reported catalyst for the suspension sounds like it came from a comedy movie.
The PlayStation Store (PSN) has been temporarily suspended in Mainland China from 7am on May 10. No time or date given for resumption of services.
The official reason given is to carry out security upgrades. But it is unclear what this means exactly. pic.twitter.com/ZoU71zR9tX— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 10, 2020
The only reason I’m posting is this, and i kid you not, is because an Xbox fanboy claimed on Weibo that they reported to authorities about certain back door elements that are easily accessible to switch to overseas services. Was taken down right after.
So let’s see what happens.— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 10, 2020
According to Niko Partners senior analyst Daniel Ahmad, the reason Chinese authorities knew about the security issues were because an Xbox fan posted on the social media site Weibo, which is similar to Twitter. Other users claimed he actually had fan accounts for all three console manufacturers, meaning it may not have been motivated by console “allegiance.” Shortly after the message was posted, PSN was taken down in China with no timetable given for when it could return. Once the security upgrades are complete, it will presumably come back online.
Game consoles had been banned altogether in China for 14 years, with the Xbox One finally arriving to the country in 2014–the ban was ironic considering that most video game systems had been manufactured in China for that entire stretch of time.
Along with the Xbox One and PS4, the Nintendo Switch is now available in China, too. Through a partnership with Chinese conglomerate Tencent, a special version of the console is sold in the country, but only certain games are available. These include New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe and Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, but games must first be approved by the Ministry of Culture before they’re allowed to be sold.
