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China saw video game revenues grow by more than a third in 2012 to nearly $14 billion last year, but console makers are likely to face an uphill battle for market share in a country where a whole generation has grown up without a PlayStation, Xbox or Wii and where free PC and mobile games dominate.
The absence of consoles has left PC games with almost two-thirds of the market, according to data released at the annual China games industry conference in December. Browser gaming accounted for just over 15 percent and mobile gaming was nearly 14 percent, the data also showed.
“If Sony and Microsoft want to expand in China they need to think of changing their business model, and study the success of Internet gaming market providers where games are free but they charge money from operating games,” said Roger Sheng, research director at tech research firm Gartner.
China had banned games consoles in 2000, citing their adverse effect on the mental health of its youth.
The suspension of the ban permits “foreign-invested enterprises” to make game consoles within Shanghai’s free trade zone and sell them in China after inspection by cultural departments, the government’s top decision-making authority, the State Council, said in a statement.
The statement, posted on the council’s website on Monday, did not give more details and officials were not available to clarify the ruling, or say how long the suspension would last.
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