Sales of Devotion (還願) have been strong, despite a boycott in China over accusations that the Taiwanese-developed online game includes an image that mocks Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), Chinese-language online media outlet New Talk reported yesterday.
Devotion is a horror-themed, riddle-based game created and developed by Red Candle Games that was released on Tuesday last week. The first-person game depicts the life of a family shadowed by religious belief in a Taiwanese apartment complex in the 1980s.
However, many in China called it a “Taiwanese independence game” and vowed to boycott it after seeing an image in the game that apparently mocks Xi, with the Chinese characters of his name and Winnie the Pooh displayed in ancient calligraphy style on a charm that Taoists believe exorcises ghosts.
Photo: CNA
Online game review Web site Spiel Times reported that “Devotion included a poster that said ‘Xi Jinping Winnie the Pooh moron.’”
The company on Wednesday apologized over the image, saying it had removed images in an updated version.
The names of people and places in the game are fictitious and any relationship to real people is coincidental, the company said in a statement on Facebook.
The controversy stemmed from a company worker using a chunk of words as design elements in the game, which was not made known to other employees, its Chinese publisher, Indievent, or its investor, Winking Entertainment, until complaints were received, the company said on Saturday.
Its collaboration with the publisher and investor has been terminated, while it would shoulder any losses as per its contracts with them, the company said, adding that Devotion has been removed from online game platform Steam’s channel in China.
Despite the controversy, sales have increased, with up to 200,000 downloads worldwide, up from 75,000, Newtalk reported yesterday, citing online data compiled by Steam Spy.
Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Saturday said he supports the Taiwanese-made video game in a post on Facebook.
“Devotion is a good game that is vibrant and creative, and it includes many elements of Taiwanese folklore and customs,” Chen said.
He supports freedom of creation, Chen said.
Additional reporting by Ko Yu-hao and CNA
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation