Don’t mark your calendars for the impending Chinese console wars just yet: Sony, scheduled to release their PlayStation 4 in Asia’s largest economy on January 11, has delayed its launch indefinitely due to “various factors”.
Reasons for the delay were unclear; though Sony’s Computer Entertainment division has declined to give a new release date nor specifics, a source in China pointed to difficult negotiations with local authorities as the culprit.
The PlayStation 4’s announced release was seen as a major milestone in China’s slowly opening gaming market, as the country had recently lifted a 14 year ban on foreign gaming consoles in time for Microsoft’s September launch of the Xbox One.
Even if Sony does manage to release the PlayStation 4 at a later date, they are expected to face an uphill battle against the country’s love of PC and mobile games. Over 527 million Chinese citizens own a smartphone; advertisers are flocking to handheld devices, following trends seen in the United States and elsewhere around the globe.
Though Sony says they are ready and willing to work with Chinese censors on releasing a region-appropriate product, they will still be faced with the task of bringing consoles to an entire generation largely unfamiliar with their existence, a task Microsoft is already trying their hardest to accomplish.
