Tencent’s China Homage Tops Charts on Eve of Nation’s Birthday
- Patriotic title celebrates 70 years of Communist rule in China
- Game reflects Tencent’s efforts to edge closer to regulators
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Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s homage to modern China has topped the gaming charts days after its debut, riding a groundswell of patriotism as the Communist Party prepares to celebrate 70 years in power.
“Homeland Dream,” the world-building title akin to the iconic SimCity of yesteryear, has become the most downloaded free game on the Chinese Apple iOS store since its Sept. 24 launch, beating out money-spinners like Tencent’s own mainstay Honour of Kings. The title -- developed in partnership with the state-run People’s Daily -- lets players build a virtual metropolis from scratch while collecting cartoonish images of Communist slogans, national landmarks and politically tinged buzzwords such as “One Country, Two Systems.”