Roblox stops service in China ahead of major renovations

Roblox can be enjoying success in many parts of the world, but is currently in limbo in China. TechCrunch have learned On December 8, Roblox temporarily shut down the Chinese version of its gaming platform, LuoBuLeSi, due to some “important transient actions” needed to develop a future version. The company was shy that the moves involved outside the “data architecture”, but a spokesman said building the platform for China was an “iterative process”.

The break did not delight fans. Roblox started LuoBuLeSi only five months before the shutdown, and many players felt the company only gave them a very short time. They also did not buy the official one claim they played a trial version, noticing they could still spend real money.

There is a chance that strict Chinese digital rules have played a role. Chinese government requires game licenses, and Roblox has more challenges than most developers. Its role as a creative platform could easily raise concerns among Chinese censors concerned about disagreements, and an attempt to present LuoBuLeSi as a digital education system may have caught the attention of officials who have dealt with private education. Chinese data protection rules it could also contribute to the decision by dictating where and how Roblox stores user data.

Whatever the reason, the temporary halt underscores the difficulties foreign game developers face in China. Not only do they have to compete in one of the world’s largest markets, but they also have to avoid conflicts with a government that sometimes has very different goals.