China Blocks Twitch Following Huge Increase in Downloads
Following a massive boost in popularity last month, Twitch has now been blocked completely in China.
As reported by Abacus, the popular game streaming website saw its mobile app removed from Apple’s App Store after locals made it the No. 3 downloadable free app last month. Likewise, attempts to access the site from a web browser won’t work either.
The download spike occurred due to the Asian Games, a major eSports event that wasn’t being broadcast anywhere else. According to Sensor Tower (via The Verge), on the week of August 27th, downloads rose 23 times higher than the previous week in large part to the Asian Games.
While it may be surprising to some, it’s really not that unusual for China to block something after a popularity boost. While there is no official statement, Abacus reports that China’s government has a pattern of banning Western media platforms that grow in popularity in case anything controversial may occur. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are permanently banned and even media giant Google hasn’t had a presence over there in eight years. Other theories are that it’s the governments’ way of cracking down on gaming addiction, which has been a growing problem in China in recent years.
Here in the Americas, Twitch remains insanely popular. Fortnite, specifically, has given the platform a huge boost this year and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
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