‘Genshin Impact,’ Other Games Halt Service in China to Mourn Jiang Zemin

At 10 AM today, a state funeral was held in Beijing for former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who died at 96 on November 30 in Shanghai. Multiple Chinese video games announced that they would halt operations in China for the day to pay respect to the departed leader.

According to a Chinese gaming publication, popular titles such as miHoYo’s Genshin Impact, Tencent’s League of Legends, Honor Of Kings, and Dungeon & Fighter, and NetEast’s Identity V and Onmyoji are participating in the pause of service.

Additionally, most apps and websites in China have turned black and white to memorialize Jiang, and trading on Chinese financial markets was paused for three minutes on Tuesday.

Universal Studios Beijing is also closed for the day.

Jiang was born on August 17, 1926, in the city of Yangzhou, about a three-hour drive from Shanghai. He presided over the country as president from 1993 to 2003.

His time at the helm was marked by several notable events in China’s recent history, including the Hong Kong handover in 1997, China’s entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001, and a decade of high-speed economic growth.

Jiang also met many influential global leaders during his tenure, including Bill Clinton and Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen died two months ago, also at the age of 96.

According to an official statement, Jiang died of leukemia and multiple organ failure. He was reportedly last seen in public at a 2019 military parade.

Cover image via Wikimedia Commons