Last year, China allowed sales of new generation consoles in Shanghai for the first time, opening up a crack in its closed market. It appears that was acting as a trial ahead of this weekend’s news of a lifting the ban on the consoles across the rest of the nation.
While there are still tight restrictions across the types of games that can be sold, Chinese gamers, who are generally hooked on online PC RPGs and mobile games will now be able to buy the Xbox One or PlayStation 4.
With Xbox sales poor in Japan, Microsoft will have a better shot in China which has less loyalty to brands, giving the format a fresh start.
The arrival of Windows 10 may also encourage Chinese PC gamers to pick up an Xbox to expand their gaming options and enable cross play and streaming.
Game On in China
As far as the limitations go, China still blocks explicitly violent or adult content, and politically off-key games, although that approach may change in the coming years.
China’s young adult market and 20-30 somethings are booming, and these people want to be in touch with their global peers. There are also many ways around official bans and scrutiny, so expect a thriving import trade.
Microsoft will also have to hope China’s poor historical record on piracy has diminished and that Xbox digital stores and encryption remain intact.
source:windows10update
