China ending nationwide console ban

Manufacturers had to sell and produce consoles within Shanghai’s free-trade zone in order to then be able to sell these consoles across China in general.

China is lifting its nationwide ban on video game consoles, The Wall Street Journal reports. Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are still assembling their video game consoles in China.

Some Chinese video game fans are still able to get their hands on them through black market sales and piracy.

Now that the Chinese Ministry of Culture will allow console manufacture and sale anywhere within the country, as opposed to just one tiny area, companies figure to be more invested in the market. While that represented a major turnaround for the long-closed Chinese market, it also put a definitive ceiling on sales potential for console makers outside the country.

Game consoles were first banned in 2000 due to fears that the devices – and the 3D worlds produced by them – had a negative effect on the mental and physical development of children.

The move opens the door to a valuable market of videogamers who have turned to computer and mobile videogames because of limited access to consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox, Sony’s PlayStation and Nintendo’s Wii. Regulators eased restrictions in a pilot test last year, which the Ministry of Culture said was successful, according to its statement.

Consequently, China will lift its ban and allow all console makers to operate anywhere in the country, without anymore limitations.

“This is great news for us”, a Sony spokesperson told the WSJ.