Motherboard is publishing details from the documents despite them being obtained by a criminal hacker because of the overriding public interest in understanding the highly controversial steps major companies might take in order to break into markets in authoritarian countries. The documents were originally obtained and then published online this month by a separate, criminal hacker who attempted to extort Roblox. There is no evidence that Tencent did target Roblox.

Users and developers also “must not tamper with historical facts” and “must not appear any images or names of national leaders.” The documents also show the steps Roblox had to take in order for its game to comply with Chinese censorship laws: any maps created in the game had to “respect the integrity of the country and not misrepresent the Chinese territory,” including by recognizing Beijing’s claim of self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory, according to a presentation given to Roblox by Tencent. “Expect it to ramp up after a deal is signed, possibly even by partner.” The slide dates from before Roblox ultimately announced a partnership with Tencent. “Expect that hacking has already started,” one slide in a presentation from 2017, called “China MVP Ideas from Aug Trip CONFIDENTAL,” read.

Roblox shutting down 2017