Approaching the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, mainland China’s operating games “World of Tanks” and “World of Warships” have announced that from June 2nd to June 6th, they will be closing the in-game chat systems and temporarily suspending the services for modifying nicknames, guild names, and related information. The announcement did not specify any correlation with sensitive dates, but the closure period includes June 4th.
On June 1st, the official website of “World of Tanks” released a “In-game Chat System Maintenance Announcement,” stating that the operating team plans to conduct server maintenance from 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. on June 2nd. Following the maintenance, the in-game chat system, nicknames, and guild information modification services will be temporarily disabled, with these functions set to reopen on June 6th at midnight.
On the same day, “World of Warships” also issued a similar announcement. Screenshots indicate that the game notice mentioned that in order to provide players with a better gaming experience, from 2:00 a.m. on June 2nd to midnight on June 6th, the in-game chat system and nickname modification services will undergo maintenance upgrades. During this period, the in-game chat system will be unusable, and the services for modifying nicknames and guild names will be suspended.
Some netizens commented that the announcements for both games were made on June 1st, with the timing concentrated from June 2nd to June 6th, coinciding with the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. A netizen from Guangdong, known as “Xiao Hu,” stated, “Announcements like these always spark discussions among players at this time of the year. The authorities claim it’s for system maintenance, but everyone knows this timing is sensitive.”
Online game player Su Xiaoliang (pseudonym) told reporters that the military game “World of Warships” also shut down the chat system and prohibited the posting of tank pictures online. He said, “Early this morning on June 2nd, ‘World of Warships’ shut down the chat system, making it impossible to chat or play games. The notice says it will resume on June 6th. They are not allowing the modification of personal names these days, because ‘June 4th’ is here, and the authorities are concerned that overseas players might post ‘Tank Man’ pictures.”
Su Xiaoliang also mentioned that not only in online games, but many accounts are also restricted from changing their avatars. He mentioned, “Today, my WeChat and Xiaohongshu accounts can’t change avatars either. Once the internet police and national security see images related to June 4th, they get extremely worried.”
Screenshots display that the announcement page of “World of Tanks” is titled “In-game Chat System Maintenance Announcement,” with the release date shown as June 1st. The announcement by “World of Warships” is titled “2026-06-02 In-game Chat System Maintenance Announcement,” signed by the “World of Warships” operating team. Both notices emphasize “maintenance,” “upgrades,” and “gaming experience,” without mentioning any politically sensitive terms.
A resident of Harbin, Niu Xishu, stated in an interview that around politically sensitive dates, several online platforms often restrict user comments or data modifications using reasons like “system maintenance” or “feature upgrades.” He mentioned, “In the lead-up to and following the June 4th incident, online games, WeChat, and Weibo usually limit military pictures, especially tank images, and photos of Tiananmen Square. Young people in their twenties who originally had no idea about June 4th, upon the ban, will understand what’s going on.”
Both “World of Tanks” and “World of Warships” are online games with military themes. In mainland China, areas where players can input text or images like in-game chat, nicknames, avatars, bullet screens, and comment sections are typically closely monitored by platforms.
Some mainland players expressed that the in-game chat system is an essential function for team-building, battle communication, and social interaction, and its continuous closure over several days will impact the gaming experience. One player mentioned, “If it’s just regular maintenance, why does it always happen at this time of the year? Players are not oblivious.”
In recent years, the in-game chat, nicknaming, and guild systems in mainland China’s online games have fallen under the scrutiny of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Besides in-game chat, player nicknames, guild names, guild introductions, signatures, and avatars may include sensitive terms regulated by the platform. During sensitive periods, some operators opt to shut down modification options to prevent players from spreading sensitive information through nicknames, guild names, or chat content.
Internet observer Mr. Xia stated that by forbidding discussion of “June 4th,” the authorities inadvertently draw attention to the CCP’s blocked historical events. He said, “The CCP’s stability maintenance approach only serves to make more young people understand ‘June 4th’ and comprehend the brutality of its tyranny. Inspired by the ban on ‘June 4th’ images, a friend’s child went to Japan last July specifically to investigate reports about the June 4th incident to uncover the truth.”
On June 4, 1989, the CCP’s military forcefully suppressed students and civilians in Beijing demanding democracy. Over the following 37 years, the CCP banned mainland media and online platforms from openly discussing the June 4th incident; related texts, images, number combinations, etc., all undergo strict scrutiny. Around the anniversary of June 4th, mainland social platforms, video platforms, and gaming communities intensify keyword filtering and manual reviews.