They say all good things must come to an end, but in this case, that sentiment seems quite overstated.
Snowbreak: Containment Zone, a niche gacha success from Chinese developers, is back in the spotlight. This follows a recent uproar where English voice actors flat-out refused to reprise their roles, citing the game’s new design choices that feature more provocative and alluring character designs, along with fanservice elements aimed at male gamers.
Now, the developers are being forced to revert some of these changes to character outfits across all regions due to pressure from the Chinese government.
Snowbreak: Containment Zone essentially reinvented itself and experienced a resurgence after the developers decided to cater to gamers with fanservice elements. This led to the introduction of more alluring character designs that were bolder, more revealing, and visually appealing.
Additionally, male NPCs were gender-swapped, leaving the player as the only male character in the game. Seductive interaction abilities were also added to enhance the experience.
This bold new direction ultimately saved the game from an abrupt termination, but the Chinese government is not pleased with the changes. Specifically, they are concerned with the actions taken by its developers, Amazing Seasun, who effectively raised the game’s age rating post-release to accommodate these new elements.
These changes and additions to certain characters were made after the game’s release, when it originally had a more subtle rating suitable for teenage audiences.
A lengthy thread on the game’s various social media accounts explains the issue: Snowbreak’s developers are being compelled by the Chinese government to address the retroactive changes made from version 1.0 to version 1.8, which were implemented when the game still had a lower age rating.
Amazing Seasun announced that sales of certain alternative outfits for characters will be halted, and the designs of other characters will be adjusted to ensure that Snowbreak: Containment Zone maintains consistency between its mainland China and global versions. These changes are scheduled to take effect on the 30th of this month.
This is undoubtedly a major disappointment for fans, given that Snowbreak had gained popularity for its fanservice and attractive female character designs.
It’s especially disheartening considering that other games, like Blue Archive, have separate versions for different regions, with the Chinese version being more censored and scrutinized. The need for Snowbreak to maintain parity between its versions is concerning, to say the least.
Their post is quite vague about what will and won’t be affected, and whether the changes will be retroactive. In a follow-up message, they clarify that the removals won’t be retroactive and won’t impact items you already own; they will only apply to future acquisitions of these specific outfits. However, the wording in the original post is somewhat unclear resulting in confusion amongst players.
The reason for these changes is related to the game’s age rating. certain skins released before version 1.8 will be affected because the game wasn’t branded as 18+ in China at that time. However, skins implemented from version 1.8 onward won’t be adjusted due to the game’s new mature age rating, which makes the situation even more confusing.
Unsurprisingly, many players are frustrated and worried about the game’s future. Some are saying they’ll stop playing, while others express concern about potential censorship of future content. If you’re invested in the game and want to keep some of the affected skins, your best option is to acquire them now before the changes go live so you can retain and continue using them.
While this situation might be broadly seen as censorship, it’s primarily about the Chinese government enforcing proper use of the game’s age rating. Snowbreak had retroactively added or altered character designs and costumes to be more alluring and revealing between versions 1.0 and 1.8, without having an appropriate age rating for this content in China.
As a result, some designs in Snowbreak will revert to their original versions, but players who already own these outfits will still be able to use them. However, these designs will no longer be available for future acquisition due to the age rating conflict.
It’s too soon to grab the pitchforks and torches and aim them at Snowbreak, especially since content released from version 1.9 onward, like the highly popular ‘Nurse’ skin for Enya and its accompanying player interactions, will remain intact and unaffected. These were introduced after the age rating change took effect.
In fact, the developers are still boldly embracing fanservice in the game’s upcoming updates. The rollout of the game’s version 2.1 update, which introduces ‘Operation Midnight’ and features the sexy operative ‘Vidya Agave’ with a revealing design, was temporarily halted on Android devices.
In a recent interview, the developers of Snowbreak stated that they will continue to pursue fanservice and offer players sexier and more attractive characters as the game evolves. They brushed off critics by emphasizing their understanding of who truly supports the game, a commitment they seem to be maintaining despite this brief setback.
The situation is complicated by the fact that enforcement by the Chinese government is beyond their control. It’s clear that the CCP will not permit retroactive changes to a more mature and seductive package when the game was originally rated for teens.
Personally, I’m not particularly too upset about the issue since players who already own the outfits and costumes will retain them, and newer outfits introduced after the age rating change will remain unaffected.
However, with other Chinese developers, like those behind Tower of Fantasy, a Genshin Impact clone planning to copy Snowbreak’s features that allow players to interact closely with female characters in a dorm environment, these regulations could potentially deter players which is something Amazing Seasun would prefer to avoid.
