14 DAY TRIAL // The Communist Chinese government might be ready to lift its long-standing ban on the sales of video game consoles in the coming months in a move that might be designed to coincide with the launch of the new Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
The South China Morning Post says that a draft policy document detailing the changes has already been created and already has the approval of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, one of the most important leader of the country.
A source states, “They still need approval from the culture ministry and other relevant government bodies for their products, which I think is reasonable, because the government wants to make sure the content of your games is not too violent or politically sensitive for young people.”
The console sales ban was implemented more than a decade ago and China still maintains, officially, that gaming can have a negative effect on the development of young people.
At the same time, those who have the money can buy a console, often modded, and games via a grey market.
It seems that lifting the ban is one of the steps that China is taking in order to open up its markets to international companies.
The only limitation that console makers like Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft will face is that all their operations need to take place in the Shanghai free trade zone.
The Chinese paper cites another source as saying that, “The Shanghai free trade zone plan is strongly supported by Premier Li, who wants to improve China’s image as opening further to business under the new leadership.”
The Xbox One from Microsoft and the PlayStation 4 from Sony are widely expected to launch in November, although no clear dates have been set.
China has not signaled when it might lift the home console ban.