China is finally allowing the sale of foreign game consoles in the country. This is the first time in over a decade. The country’s government temporarily lifted the ban on Monday, so now recent game consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox One, the Sony PlayStation 4, and the Nintendo Wii U can all ship there and be enjoyed by the masses.
We don’t know how long sales will be permitted however.
The ban was put in place by the Chinese government in 2000, and we heard reports last year that the Ministry of Culture was reviewing the policy, and that they were to hold “discussions with other ministries on the possibility of opening up the game console market.”
Why did they ban them in the first place? Well, it was an attempt to protect the physical and mental development of children in China, or so they claimed. I guess that doesn’t apply anymore. They must have seen dollar signs. The gaming market in China for 2013 is estimated to be worth 83 billion yuan or $13 billion. And that was with the ban in place. At least Chinese citizens get to play all of the cool new titles now. At least for awhile.
Source Electronista
Filed Under: Gaming News