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Gamers in China are protesting by refusing to accept refunds for Monster Hunter: World

Hit title is even more popular after being pulled from Tencent's WeGame

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You can play Monster Hunter: World offline, but it's intended as an online, co-operative experience. (Picture: Capcom.)
This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Monster Hunter: World might be virtually crippled in China soon. But gamers are protesting by refusing to accept refunds for their copy of the game.

The hit multiplayer game was pulled from Tencent's WeGame platform just days after its launch because the government says it's “not exactly compliant” with its rules, according to Tencent.

The sudden removal shocked gamers and industry watchers alike. While the Chinese government has cracked down before on content containing profanity, gore and pornographic elements, Monster Hunter: World doesn’t seem to fall into any of these categories.

The removal was also a blow for another reason: It launched on PC on WeGame in China a day before it came out in the rest of the world on Steam, a huge breakthrough for Chinese players who normally have to wait much longer for games to reach them.

Tencent pulled Monster Hunter: World from WeGame and offered refunds to buyers. The company gave gamers until next Monday to accept their refunds, and says it doesn't promise that servers will continue to operate beyond then. (It is possible to play Monster Hunter: World offline, but the game is primarily intended as an online, co-operative experience.)

You won't believe this, but Monster Hunter is a game about... hunting monsters. No, seriously. (Picture: Capcom.)
You won't believe this, but Monster Hunter is a game about... hunting monsters. No, seriously. (Picture: Capcom.)

But even though this would mean gamers would be left with a crippled version of the game they bought, many are defiantly holding on to Monster Hunter: World.

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