Launching alongside the other tier 2 countries at the close of summer, Microsoft has made it known that the Xbox One will become available for Chinese gamers this September.
Previously we reported that things would get underway beginning in July, but Microsoft has clarified that the launch date of the Xbox One has been pushed back to September to coincide with the rest of the second tier launches in 26 other countries.
According to GamesIndustry.biz, corporate vice president of strategy and marketing, Yusef Mehdi, took to the official Xbox newswire and wrote that...
"Today marks a monumental day for Xbox, as together with our partner BesTV New Media Co., we announced we will bring Xbox One to China in September of this year," ... "This is a historic moment in our partnership as we work toward the first official Xbox launch in China. Xbox One will also be the first system of its kind to launch in China.”
This may not be the first game console launched in China, but it will be the first eighth-generation home console to launch in China. This could mark a huge milestone achievement for Microsoft because they're looking at breaking into a territory worth $13 billion and catering toward more than 500 million gamers.
While Microsoft is currently trailing behind the Wii U like Americans trail behind partially developed countries in the education department, they're seeing China as their ticket to the big time. With Mario Kart 8 looming around the corner like the secret police in Pyongyang where someone is trying to sell a few baskets full of fruit for their own capital gain, Microsoft is looking at a gap aimed to widen between the Xbox One and Wii U throughout the summer like Putin and Obama's relationship.
Putting China into the equation completely throws this eighth-gen console war into unknown territory.
Yusef went on to say in the post that...
"On behalf of the entire Xbox team, we are incredibly excited to bring Xbox One and the next generation of games, entertainment, online education and fitness to China. Launching Xbox One in China is a significant milestone for us and for the industry, and it's a step forward in our vision to deliver the best games and entertainment experiences to more fans around the world. Enwei Xie will lead Xbox China as general manager, bringing years of Microsoft experience both in China and abroad."
Partnered with BesTV and aiming to garner the attention of more than 500 million potential consumers is a tall order of potentiality and sales possibilities. We all know that the Xbox One will tank harder in Japan than the New Kids on the Block reunion tour, but they could definitely make up for it with Japan's territorial counterpart, China.
The green and black brand will get underway in the mainland republic of China through the Shanghai Free Trade Zone this September. Good luck to Enwei Xie... because the team trying to convince the Chinese to buy the Xbox One and its NSA Spycam are going to have an interesting road ahead of them.
