A Nintendo Switch video game has been pulled from China's grey market e-commerce platforms, Reuters' checks show, after Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong used the game to protest against Beijing’s rule of the Chinese territory.

The game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, is a colourful social simulator in which players can decorate their own island and invite others to visit. It became an instant hit after its launch last month and has been used by many players to interact and simulate real-life scenarios while they are stuck at home because of measures to curb the COVID-19 outbreak.

Joshua Wong, a Hong Kong activist, took his protests to the game last week and on Twitter posted a screenshot of his island decorated with a banner saying: "Free Hong Kong, revolution now."China has stringent rules on content from everything from video games to movies and music, censoring anything it believes violates core socialist values. Gaming companies must also seek licences for the games they want to publish. If you want to know where to buy Animal Crossing New Horizons Gold Nuggets, 5mmo.com will be your best choice.

Nintendo Switch sales only launched in China in December, through a partnership between Nintendo and Tencent. However, multiplayer connections for games may only be accessed by players through foreign editions available on the gray market sites such as Taobao and Pinduoduo.Since Wong’s tweets, there has been a crackdown against Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Reuters reported.

Despite forcing some online retailers to pull Animal Crossing: New Horizons from their virtual shelves, the Chinese authorities face an uphill struggle banning the game completely. As Ahmad points out, Animal Crossing still works offline and online in China, and it's still available to buy, either from certain stores, or via switching region on the eShop. And people can always contact Taobao sellers privately and buy the game under the counter.