Japanese video game developer Capcom recently released Arcade Stadium on the Nintendo Switch, a collection of classic video games ranging from 1943: The Battle of Midway to Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting. The release features a number of alterations to those games, some of which have resulted in backlash across South East Asia.Super Street Fighter II featured a significant change to the flags that appeared on the character selection screen. Specifically, the flag accompanying Fei Long, which used to be that of Hong Kong S.A.R, has been replaced with the flag of the People's Republic of China. It should be noted that the flag was replaced once before in 2018, from the British Hong Kong flag (also called the Dragon and Lion flag) to the modern Bauhina flag.RELATED: Xbox Series X's New FPS Boost Could Make Classic Games Look Great With Zero Effort

It is important to note that tensions between Hong Kong and Mainland China have been increasing since the pro-democracy protest that erupted in 2019, resulting in the imposition of the National Security Law that came into effect in July 2020. The new legislation, imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing, is viewed by many as a sweeping set of laws that criminalizes all actions and expressions that may encourage support for Hong Kong's independence or any manner of opposition to the Chinese Communist Party.

Street Fighter II's Fei Long was inspired by iconic Hong Kong-American action star, Bruce Lee. Lee is credited with reshaping the depiction of Asian people in Hollywood films. More recently, Lee's name has been mentioned in the context of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, as his famous quote, "Be water," inspired the tactics that allowed the protesters to continue demonstrating in spite of attempts by law enforcement to suppress them through the use of brutal tactics. The movement has consistently received widespread support from neighboring regions in South East Asia and elsewhere the across the globe.

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Source: Twitter, via The Stand News