The Xbox One might be lagging behind sales numbers of the PS4 but that doesn’t mean Microsoft is all doom and gloom these days. One recent report said the Xbox One has just topped the five million sold mark.
A new report now claims the next generation console is going to be launching in China this September. ZDNet is reporting that console will be launching in the communist country this fall, thanks to a partnership with state run media company, BesTV New Media.
Microsoft put out a statement saying the deal will allow Microsoft and BesTV to allow for developers to make games for the Xbox One, as well as play existing titles. “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,” said Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of marketing for Xbox.
The arrival of the Xbox One in the country comes just months after China lifted a 14-year ban on video game consoles inside the country. As CNN points out, the lifting of the ban means there is now a rather lucrative market for the Xbox One as well as the Playstation 4.
Considering China is the most populous country in the world, the lifting of the ban means tens of millions of new Xbox One fans who have never had access to the devices Microsoft had to offer, unless they were getting it through the black market.
The Xbox One is the first of its kind, when it comes to a gaming console in China that will be able to connect to the Internet and to a user’s television and this alone could be something that allows it to be a leader in the market.
While Microsoft is celebrating this deal, PC gaming companies, who were doing quite well during the ban are likely less than a little pleased. The Xbox One is diving into a market that was doing just fine for gamers who couldn’t use a console, now that the newest generation of console is officially going to be on the market, gamers’ tastes are bound to change a bit.
The lifting of the ban likely means Sony will be able to bring the PS4 to China sooner rather than later, but at least for now, Microsoft is able to tout the Xbox One as the first next gen console in the country, even if it has to wait until September to make it official.