China PS4 PlayStation 4 Sales Industry

Sony's struggles with the PlayStation 4 in parts of Asia are well documented, but TGS 2015 proved this week that the system's Japanese sales are sure to soar eventually. It'll now be turning its attention to China, then – a brave new world that seemed incredibly lucrative when a lengthy ban on dedicated gaming boxes was lifted in 2014.

That hasn't quite turned out to be the case, with group president Andrew House explaining that it hasn't seen "a rocket launch start". But what's the reason for this? "We are still challenged somewhat with a censorship regime that we have to work with," he told Reuters. "This can be time consuming."

Games that promote obscenity, drug use, and violence cannot officially be flogged in the country, while gambling and even negative representations of the nation will be blocked. Titles are vigorously checked, and even updates and add-ons must go through this rigorous approval process. In other words, it's a headache for everyone involved.

Of course, House is pointing to a problem that he can't control, but it's not the only issue that faces consoles in the colossus country. The price of the PS4 is steep, for example, while there's already a very prevalent grey market in the nation selling consoles and games for cheap. Furthermore, the region tends to have a preference for PC titles and smartphones.

As such, this will probably remain a tough nut for the Japanese giant to crack, but it's been so good at entering new markets that we're sure that it will stick with it. The company recently announced that it had sold one million PS4s in the Middle East, while smaller European countries remain a big target for it.

Whether it will ever breakthrough in China remains to be seen, but the rewards will probably make the effort worthwhile if it does.

[source reuters.com]