Chinese satirical game about Trump’s re-election allows players to yell ‘fake news!’ at reporters

Comrade Trump’s Re-election is slated for release on Steam on September 11

The release of the game, on the anniversary of the deadliest terror attack on American soil, comes at a time of worsening US-China relations

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Developed by YEARS Studio, Comrade Trump's Re-election is a satirical game scheduled to be released on Steam on September 11. Image: Steam

Published: 5:15pm, 8 Sep 2020Updated: 9:48pm, 8 Sep 2020

“With three days to go before the 2020 US election, in the face of endless questions from reporters at the press conference, can Comrade Trump be re-elected? Can he fulfil the task assigned to him by his motherland?”

That is the description of a new game by Chinese indie developer YEARS Studio that satirises US President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign.

Slated to be released on dominant PC gaming platform Steam on September 11, Comrade Trump’s Re-election is described as a choice-based interactive story with four possible endings. Playing as a character based on Trump, gamers can send tweets and rebut reporters’ questions by saying “fake news!”, according to the game’s description on Steam.

On Comrade Trump’s Re-election, players can post tweets and reprimand reporters. Image: Steam

This is just one of a recent crop of satirical games with political undertones. Late last year, several games inspired by the Hong Kong protests were launched, allowing players to virtually fight as protesters or beat up activists. Another game on Steam, Coronavirus Attack, has been blocked in China – the Covid-19-themed game released earlier this year has imagery evoking the Chinese flag.

The release of the Trump-themed game comes at a time when relations between the US and China are at their worst in decades, according to experts, with the world’s two largest economies facing off on myriad issues such as technology and trade.

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