That’s right, it’s time for a listicle.
Fortnite China is coming to a close this month, and many of our viewers may not have even been aware that a Chinese version of the game existed. As more eyes have been drawn to the doomed Fortnite however, we learned that a number of changes were made to the game in order to appease Chinese government regulators. And they make for an oddly quirky game compared to its international version.
Here are five quirks of Fortnite China.
1. There Were No Microtransactions
The lack of microtransactions is likely the big reason why Fortnite in China is shutting down. According to user reports floating about, Tencent never received approval to start monetizing Fortnite’s Chinese version and as a result there weren’t any microtransactions. Every player received a stipend of 400 V-Bucks every six days and battle passes could be obtained simply by playing the game (although you don’t receive any rewards until further into the pass). This also means nothing related to real money purchases like Fortnite Crew or other mission packs were available in the game.
2. You Didn’t Have To Win To Win
You don’t have to win the Chinese version of Fortnite to win the Chinese version of Fortnite, which would sound really bad if the Chug Jug lyrics were “number twelve victory royale.” According to notes floating around the net, players could obtain a victory royale simply by getting enough eliminations in a round and being offered the opportunity to leave. Every round ends after twenty minutes, and rather than forcing players into being the last one standing, everyone still alive at that point wins. The Chinese Fortnite seems to have been designed around streamlining games so players could get in as many rounds as possible given the restrictions on gameplay (see below).
3. Nobody Dies, Everyone Is A Hologram
The Chinese government really hates violence in video games, and as such games over the last few years devoted specifically for the Chinese player base have done away with concepts like death. In Fortnite’s Chinese mode every player is actually a hologram rather than a person. HP is battery life and instead of dying a player simply “disconnects” from the island. It’s like back in the Super Nintendo days where games would turn humans into robots with green blood to appease censors.
4. After 90 Minutes, You Need To Study
This mechanic is more antiquated, and likely another reason why the game is shutting down. Chinese Fortnite didn’t have any strict play limits, however after 90 minutes per day on weekdays and three hours on weekends, the game would halt experience gain and suggest that players go study. Chinese law has since become more strict on minor gamers, limiting them to one hour per day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday only.
5. Skulls Get Censored
This one shouldn’t be a surprise to MMO Fallout readers, as we’ve discussed before how depictions of skulls and certain other things are illegal in Chinese games. It shouldn’t be too surprising then that any skin with skulls or skeletons exposed would be censored for the Chinese version. And not a bad censorship job either. Some are just minor detail changes while others look pretty darn cool.
(images courtesy of Fortnite Wiki)
Information sourced from Fortnite Wiki
MMO Fallout 