On September 29, the Xbox One will be making its debut in China, making it the first gaming system in 14 years to be sold in China via official channels.
The announcement was made by Microsoft and BesTV, saying that the console will be available at over 4.000 stores in 37 cities throughout China at a reported price of 4,299 yuan ($700.17) bundled with the Kinect, and 3,699 yuan ($602.45) when sold without the Kinect. The Xbox One will be sold in China alongside 10 titles which will be made available both through digital copies in the Xbox Store and as retail outlets.
Some of the titles include are following: Dance Central Spotlight, Forza Motorsport 5, Kinect Sports Rivals, Max: The Curse of Brother hood, Naughty Kitties, Neverwinter, Powerstar Golf, Trials Fusion, Zoo Tycoon, and Rayman Legends. These are the only ten games that have approved by the Chinese government thus far, but Microsoft claims that there are more than 70 more titles “in the pipeline for approval” including Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Killer Instinct. The Xbox One will also have a few apps available at launch including Skype, Game DVR, and a BesTV app with video content coming to it in the near future.
In a press release earlier today, Xbox Executive, Phil Spencer stated the following:
“This milestone is significant for both our partnership with China and our global expansion plan. We will continue to work closely with our partner BesTV to bring exciting games, entertainment and app experiences to delight gamers across China.”
Zhang Dazhong senior vice president of the Shanghai Media Group, the parent company of BesTV also made a statement during the press release, saying:
“China has celebrated gaming for many years and there couldn’t be a better way to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone than to deliver the first approved console to our fans.”
Earlier this year China lifted their almost 14-year ban of the production and sale of video game consoles inside Shanghai’s Free Trade Zone, which is what made this event possible allowing Microsoft to bring the Xbox One to their country.
Sony has also recently hinted at plans for expanding their gaming market into China, but further details are yet to be revealed. As for Nintendo no announcements for plans in the Chinese market have been made.
