China’s internet censorship laws and practices are pretty well-known, and it looks like Amazon’s Twitch live streaming platform is its latest victim. In a report from Abacus, it appears that Twitch has been blocked from China, and its mobile app has also disappeared from Apple’s App Store suggesting that this isn’t some kind of glitch or accident.
What’s strange is that as Abacus points out, just last month the platform saw a surge in popularity in the country as many had tuned in to watch the Asian Games. However for some reason, the website is no longer accessible and the app is gone. Abacus also notes that interestingly enough, YouTube’s app is still available although you wouldn’t be able to use its services if you download the app.
Like we said, there doesn’t seem to be any particular reason as to why the service has been blocked or the app has been removed. Some speculate that it could be China’s way of cracking down on video games. Some are also saying that this ban certainly does not bode well for other Western gaming platforms such as Steam, which is still operating in the country.
Twitch has yet to officially respond to their services being blocked in the country, but for now it looks like Chinese gamers will need to find a different live stream source.