Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft to re-enter China’s £8.4bn gaming market
China has ended its 14 year ban on foreign-made games consoles which has blocked Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo from selling devices to the country’s 1.3bn citizens.
While PlayStations and Xboxes have long been available in China illegally, PC gaming is the only legitimate form of gaming and has flourished due to the popularity of online gaming at internet cafes.
The gaming market in China grew 38 per cent in 2013 to 83bn Chinese yuan (£8.37bn), according to the China Games Industry Annual Conference.
China originally banned gaming consoles in 2000, citing adverse effects on the mental health of its youth.
Officials in China's State Council have yet to clarify whether the suspension of the ban is a temporary measure, or a more permanent move for the country.
“This just means one step of the process has been taken,” said Nintendo’s Japan-based public relations manager Yasuhiro Minagawa.