What was sought to secure the information of the nation from foreign adversaries is now speculated to ban Genshin Impact in the US. Senate bill 686 or the RESTRICT Act was designed to protect the cyber security of the country. Additionally, it contains a section that mentions “gaming applications” which induced rumors about the potential ban of the foreign game.
Many popular game titles in the US belong to foreign companies. One of the prime examples is certainly HoYoverse’s Genshin Impact. Fans fear that under the influence of the RESTRICT Act, the game might get banned in the near future.
There are no specific details in the Act whatsoever that explicitly suggest a ban on Genshin Impact. Despite that, the US player base has reasons to be concerned about its foreseeable feature which will be discussed throughout this article.
Will Genshin Impact be banned in the US? Exploring how the RESTRICT Act might affect miHoYo’s title
I think the US government will ban Genshin Impact soon
— Jireh R. (@jirehjayri) March 24, 2023
The Congress’s official website contains details on Senate bill 686 which are laid out for citizens’ understanding. Its objective emphasizes national security information and its protection from foreign adversaries. Moreover, the official title advertises the following purpose of the bill.
“A bill to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to review and prohibit certain transactions between persons in the United States and foreign adversaries, and for other purposes.”
https://twitter.com/Hallowrot/status/1640901951008174082?s=20
https://twitter.com/DI4KUR0SAW4/status/1641171892034740224?s=20
The Genshin Impact community is concerned about the title’s future in the US after the introduction of the bill. Some fans believe that the act will lead to the game’s ban given that the developers are based in China. The country is listed as a foreign adversary under Section 2(8) of the RESTRICT Act. Here are some other countries that are exclusively mentioned under the mentioned sub-section.
- Cuba
- Iran
- Korea
- Russia
- Venezuela
Further speculations on the RESTRICT Act’s influence
The bill to ban TikTok is absolutely terrifying. It gives the government the ability to go after anyone they deem as a national security risk at which point they can access everything from their computer to video games to their ring light.
This is a Patriot Act for the internet. pic.twitter.com/uYea49F1b1
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 28, 2023
One of the major reasons backing up the speculation of the Genshin Impact ban in US is the inclusion of “gaming applications” under Section 5(6) of the Act. The section further briefs on how the concerned Secretary has the power to review and take actions against such games. Besides that, some believe that if TikTok gets banned then it’s a matter of time for the Government to take action against the aforementioned gacha game.
is the TikTok ban really gonna make playing genshin impact a criminal offense punishable by 20 years in prison
— pisshits mcbong (@thinktankee) March 29, 2023
I dont talk politics a lot but I will say this: If the Tiktok ban goes through, say goodbye to games like Genshin Impact and Pokémon Unite. They could and very likely would be effected by the ban.
— Martyr 👓🐱 Cat Mom Vtuber || Oyaji Club (@MartyrsCornerVT) March 30, 2023
The “Tiktok Ban” or Restrict Act would also allow the government to ban US gamers from playing Valorant, League of Legends, Genshin Impact, Fortnite, and many other popular games. pic.twitter.com/OFHWuUkpYC
— megagulp (@stonedncold) March 28, 2023
Senate bill 686 has yet to be passed by the legislative bodies of the US. However, gamers hypothesize that the approval of the act will have a negative influence on titles that boast a massive foreign investment. Following Genshin Impact, players have showed their concern about some of the popular titles such as Pokemon Unite, Valorant, and League of Legends.
If the Restrict Act passes, the US government can probably just ban League of Legends, Fortnite, Valorant, any Soulsborne game, Genshin Impact, and many more.
All of the above are either owned by or heavily invested in by a Chinese company.
— 🪿 theGOOSEchase 🪿 (@wyldegoosechase) March 29, 2023
In fact, the law is written so broadly that it would actually ban a number of popular games (like Genshin Impact), possibly even ban major computer retailers in the US (like Lenovo), and would even potentially ban not only VPNs but even…
5/x
— dogemperor (https://tinyurl.com/socials314)🐀 (@dogemperor) March 30, 2023
The entirety of the RESTRICT Act has been thoroughly descriptive, articulating most of the key elements that fall under its jurisdiction. Moreover, there are enough inclusions in each of the sections that justify the concerns of the gaming community.
The bill is yet to be passed by the legislative bodies. Thus, for the time being Genshin Impact is completely legal and playable in the US region. As for the future of the game, it is still unknown how much the Act will influence its existence.
