Sony has decided to delay sales of its PlayStation 4 gaming console in China citing “various factors,” it declared in a statement on Thursday.
It has decided to delay sales of the latest-generation PlayStation 4 and its hand-held gaming console, partly due to the negotiations with the Chinese government, according to Reuters. In the past, Microsoft too had faced a similar setback with the launching of Xbox One last year as their launch was delayed by a month.
A Microsoft spokesperson had mentioned they would rather launch the console with game titles approved by the government regulators- although it was not mentioned explicitly whether this was the cause for the delay.
The stringent Chinese regulations on censorship which requires videogames to tone down the amount of violence, sex, drug use or other content deemed antisocial or inadvisable proves to be a huge barrier for popular shooting games like “Call of Duty” franchise or the “Grand Theft Auto” series.
The country lifted its 14-year old ban on videogames and gaming consoles only last year which paved the way for Microsoft’s Xbox One, in September 2014. Although, it could only sell 10 games due to the strict censorship rules in China about what games they can or can’t play. Moreover, they would also be facing considerable competition from the mobile and PC games sector as they have been booming industries for the past 14 years.
“Cooperating with the government, we’ll provide a broad range of content for our users in China,” Hiroyuki Oda, head of Asia business at Sony Computer Entertainment, told reporters in December.
China is a tremendous potential market for Sony and Microsoft, in terms of the gaming market which can be looked upon to compensate for some of the currently weaker divisions of Sony, like mobile.
Sony is currently applying for licenses for 30 games, working closely with the government to eradicate concerns of censorship. Sony is planning to sell the Playstation 4 for about $467 or 2,899 yuan which is slightly higher than its U.S. retail price ($400).
This article was syndicated from Business 2 Community: Sony Delaying Sale Of Playstation 4 in China For Various Reasons
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