Epic Games is shutting down China's version of Fortnite amid Beijing's crackdown on gaming

• Epic Games will shut down its China version of Fortnite on November 15.
• Fortnite in China was only ever in the beta-testing stage and has been available since 2018.

Game developer Epic Games is shutting down the Chinese version of its wildly popular Fortnite.

The company announced the decision in a post on its website on Sunday. A spokesperson for Epic Games shared a translation of the post with Insider, which said Epic ended new user registrations in China on November 1 and will fully shut down its servers there on November 15.

The Chinese version of Fortnite, called Fortress Night, was never technically a full version of the game and the company referred to it as a "beta test" in its shutdown announcement.

Epic Games' spokesperson told Insider the beta test has existed in China since 2018. CNBC reported the beta version lacked features such as in-app purchases.

The company did not give a reason for why it was shutting down the game, and a spokesperson declined to comment when asked by Insider.

Epic Games' decision to withdraw Fortnite from China comes after the Chinese government began to bring in strict new laws around gaming. Beijing introduced a law in August mandating that children under 18 can only have three hours of gaming per week.

Shares in major Chinese gaming companies Tencent and NetEase fell in September following a report from the South China Morning Post that government officials were slowing approvals of new online video games.

Tencent acquired a 40% stake in Epic Games in 2012.