Microsoft isn’t making China wait much longer for the Xbox One.
The company revealed today that it will launch its new-gen console in the country on Sept. 29. This comes after Microsoft postponed the launch on Saturday to ensure a “world-class” launch. Chinese gamers will now have the opportunity to get the Xbox One for around $600 (3,699 yuan) without a Kinect or around $700 (4,299 yuan) with the 3D-camera peripheral. Video games are a multibillion-dollar industry, and China has the spending power to grow it by a couple billion more.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":1559470,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"games,","session":"A"}']“After receiving government approval for the first wave of games, we’ve decided to launch with digital copies of the first 10 games now and will continue our work to bring more blockbuster games and a broad offering of entertainment and app experiences to the platform in the months to come,” Xbox China general manager Enwei Xie said in a statement.
China is a massive market, and Microsoft is willing to jump through the bureaucratic hoops to reach consumers there. It is paving the way for consoles as the Xbox One is the first modern gaming-dedicated machine from a big company to go on sale in the country since the year 2000. That’s when the Chinese government banned consoles to protect kids from violent images.
Last year, China started working toward lifting its ban. When it did, Microsoft quickly found a partner to make its move. Sony and Nintendo are considering their own strategies for the market.
As for the Xbox One, Microsoft wants to make the best first impression it possibly can, and ensuring it has games to sell is probably the most important part of that.
“We have one opportunity to launch Xbox in China,” said Xie said on Saturday. “And we want to deliver a world-class experience for our fans.”