The Xbox One will be available in China during September of this year, only several months after the console ban in China was lifted.

Microsoft confirmed today on their official blog that the Xbox One will be releasing in September.

With this launch, the Xbox One will became the first modern home console sold in China since the ban was enacted in 2000 (due to concerns over violent content in video games).

BesTV, China’s leading internet and television provider, formed a partnership with Microsoft last September and will help Microsoft release the Xbox One in China.

Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President of Marketing, Strategy and Business stated on Xbox Wire that:

“The culture of games and entertainment is rapidly growing in China, with nearly half a billion people playing games – roughly a third of the country’s population and more than the entire population of North America. The gaming industry saw massive growth in the last year – generating more than $13 billion in 2013, an increase of 38% in the last year alone. Gamers in China have shown they love gaming – mostly on PC, mobile and online – and game developers in China have been delivering innovative games for years. Creators and gamers alike have eagerly awaited a new generation of entertainment experiences in China.”

Yusuf Mehdi finished off by saying:

“We’ll be working hard over the coming months, along with our partners, to ensure we delight a new set of Xbox fans in China in September.”

My Opinion

It will be interesting to see how well consoles do in China. Considering that mobile and PC gaming is very popular, I cannot see consoles doing well there. However, considering that home consoles have not been available in China for 14 years, there may be people who desperately want a console! It’s also good to see Microsoft releasing their product first into the China market. It will be interesting to see if Sony will follow, or if they will leave that market out considering the history between Japanese and Chinese. With that said, the Nintendo DS and the 3DS have been available, even when the previous ban was still enforced.

Steven Shearer is a new edition to the team. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN.