Microsoft will be the first company to take advantage of the lift on console bans in China.
Last year, you may have heard that China was lifting its 13-year-long ban on consoles in the country. While Chinese people rejoiced, console manufacturers have been slow to take advantage of the new region. Now, Microsoft is stepping in to announce the launch of the Xbox One in China, which, when it launches in September, will be the first official console launch in China in 13 years.
“Today marks a monumental day for Xbox, as together with our partner BesTV New Media Co., we announced we will bring Xbox One to China in September of this year,” wrote Yusuf Mehdi in an official blog post. “This is a historic moment in our partnership as we work toward the first official Xbox launch in China. Xbox One will also be the first system of its kind to launch in China.”
“The launch of Xbox One here will bring distinction as the first-ever game console with OTT functionality in China,” said Dazhong Zhang, senior vice president, Shanghai Media Group, and chairman, E-Home Entertainment Development Company Ltd. “The launch of Xbox is a milestone for our company in the family entertainment market and will create profit growth opportunities.”
Mehdi points out that the possibilities for the as-of-yet-untapped Chinese market are massive, noting that “The culture of games and entertainment is rapidly growing in China, with nearly half a billion people playing games – roughly a third of the country’s population and more than the entire population of North America.”
It’s interesting that Microsoft, an American company, is the first to step up and sell its console in China, considering the fact that territorial disputes between China and Japan have put tensions between the two nations at a high, and both Sony and Nintendo are Japanese companies.
Source: Xbox Wire
