TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The mobile game Shining Nikki (閃耀暖暖) created by Paper Games, a Chinese company, has removed masks from its characters, prompting users to link this to Hong Kong's anti-mask law.

Since Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) announced the anti-mask law on Oct. 4, Shining Nikki has changed its characters from wearing a mask that covers most of their faces to wearing it on one ear, revealing their entire faces. According to Liberty Times, users of the successful 3D mobile dress-up game Shining Nikki have suggested the changes support the Chinese government.

According to UDN, however, the developers claimed this change was inspired by photos of celebrities at airports and they hope it will "maintain harmony and create a comfortable gaming environment" for users.

Taiwanese users have expressed their disappointment on the PTT web forum, saying, "There is no celebrity that would wear her mask on only one ear." Many have also changed their Facebook profile pictures to the original mask-wearing characters.

Shining Nikki was launched on April 10 and has been well-received among female gamers in Asia. It was responsible for 89.5% of Paper Games' income in August, reported Yahoo News.