Microsoft Takes Advantage Of Relaxed Game Console Ban In China

Microsoft may have found a way to pull ahead of the Sony Playstation — in China.

The company partnered this week with a Chinese company to bring its Xbox One gaming console out of the black market and into Chinese stores.

China had banned gaming consoles for 14 years because of concerns about violent content and “the potential for moral decay.”

Even with the Chinese market opening for Microsoft, it will still face some challenges according to Todd Bishop of Geekwire.

“There are still some pretty heavy handed censorship rules in China,” Bishop said, speaking with KUOW’s Jamala Henderson. “It’s not a situation where Microsoft can just go in and automatically bring its blockbuster titles along with the console.”

He's guessing Microsoft is aiming to sell a few hundred thousand Xboxes in China in the first year. That's compared to the millions of Xbox consoles sold every year worldwide.