It’s a well known fact around the world that Chinese censors are some of the most diligent and strictest censors. This may prove a cause of trouble and concern for Sony as they have announced that they plan to put the PlayStation 4 on sale in China from January 11th following the end of a 14 year ban that prohibited bringing in and selling foreign gaming consoles.
The initial plan is to put the PlayStation 4 on the Chinese market for 2,899 Yuan which equates to $468.43 in the states and £298.51 in the UK. They also plan to put the PlayStation Vita on sale for 1,299 Yaun which equates to $209.84 in the States and £133.76 in the UK. Speaking to the press, Hiroyuki Oda, head of Asia business with Sony Computer Entertainment has said “Cooperating with the government, we’ll provide a broad range of content for our users in China.”
We do know that Sony has already applied for 30 licenses for games and that several of these have already been approved, but with that being said, we don’t know which titles have been submitted or approved. It’s extremely unlikely that games like Grand Theft Auto or other violent games would be approved despite the implied positive economic ramifications.
What do you think of both Microsoft and Sony building bridges in the Chinese gaming market?
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