Roblox documents show what company changed to secure Chinese release
In a new report by VICE, leaked documents show the hurdles faced by developer Roblox Corp. to get its game Roblox ready for release in China.
To follow guidelines set by the Chinese government, the developer had to ensure any maps made in-game would have to "respect the integrity of the country and not misrepresent the Chinese territory," according to obtained documents. Specific areas included Taiwan, Tibet, and the South China Sea.
Given the Chinese Communist Party's very public interest in controlling discussion these topics, the listed guidelines are often considered to be censorious by developers.
Plans for Roblox to achieve approval included a version of the game segmented from the international version played by millions. International players who used the Chinese version of the platform would be subjected to Chinese laws, including ones around data usage.
Additionally, users and developers were not allowed to "tamper with historical facts" or use the images or names of national leaders. This lines up with previous reports of the country telling developers to stick with "state-approved" versions of historical figures and events.
In July 2021, Roblox Corp. released a Chinese version of its game, titled LuoBuLeSi, that was published by Chinese tech giant Tencent. (Tencent and Roblox announced a partnership in 2019.) Previously billed as an "archive-deleting test version," albeit one that let its players purchase in-game items with real money, its servers were taken offline earlier this year. A Chinese version of Roblox hasn't existed since.
Roblox Corp. considered both Tencent and fellow Chinese tech giant NetEase as viable partners in regards to content moderation. "NetEase is direct, down-to-earth, flexible
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