China Ends 15-Year Game Console Ban, Many Titles Remain Prohibited

China decides to finally lift their 15-year ban on gaming consoles, enabling console giants to take on the Chinese market.

The ban, which was initially put in place in 2000, made it totally impossible for consoles like Sony's PlayStation, Microsoft's XBox and Nintendo's Wii, to be produced and sold in China legally. The ban was made on the premise that gaming would negatively affect children, as reported by The Escapist.

Engadget reports that Chinese citizens, however, were still able to acquire the said consoles illegally by breaking rules and purchasing through the black market.

A year prior to the lifting of the ban, Chinese officials tested a partial market for the consoles only in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone. However, due to the strict regulations that console companies had to submit to, the gaming console industry wasn't able to expand and flourish.

Regulations included a rigorous testing for every manufactured console prior to selling. Such regulations stifled the console business.

This year, however, is a promising start for console makers as the ban gets lifted by China's government.

A report from the Wall Street Journal states that the China Ministry of Culture has released new rules that will enable both foreign and domestic console makers to manufacture and sell consoles and games anywhere in the country. This practically means that the console companies can now attempt to dominate the gaming scene of the most populated country in the planet.

"This is great news for us," a Sony Computer Entertainment spokeswoman states, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Computer gaming companies have long been eyeing the Chinese community for a market. However, the restrictions made it impossible for them to thrive in China. Now that the ban has been lifted, consoles only have one more challenge to face: the mobile gaming and PC gaming scene.

Since China has banned consoles for 15 years, PC and mobile gaming has been the foremost gaming means the Chinese people had. The Chinese have established a widespread mobile gaming industry as wide as the market for their China-made mobile phones is, and PC gaming has become established. These things will surely challenge the console companies.

Also, another issue is that some game titles, like "Battlefield 4," will not be permitted. According to Inquisitr, most banned games are seen by the government to show Chinese governments and peoples in a negative way.

Though the new rules seem promising, game consoles do have a big challenge to face in the China market. Will they succeed?