Microsoft is preparing to launch the Xbox One in China, as the company came to an agreement with China Telecom Corporation to begin selling the console in the Chinese market by September 30, 2014. The deal is a big win for Microsoft, as it looks to improve the sales of the Xbox One to better compete with the Sony PlayStation 4.
The deal will see China Telecom Corporation selling the Xbox One exclusively to its 30 million subscribers. That's a huge pool of potential Xbox One owners, and if everything goes according to plan, Microsoft could tip the game in its favor by the end of the year.
While the Xbox One will have an exclusive spot on China Telecom, it doesn't mean the console won't be sold by other retailers.
"When Xbox One launches in September, in addition to the China Telecom consumer offer, it will also be available to the general public for purchase at retail," says Joanna Li, Microsoft's China spokeswoman via email, adding that further details about the launch would be released next week.
Back in September of 2013, Microsoft signed a contract with BesTV New Media, China's internet TV set-top box maker, to help with the manufacturing of the Xbox One in Shanghai's Free Trade Zone. From there, it was clear that Microsoft was quietly making other deals to help push the console in a market with over 600 million gamers.
While 600 million is a large number, we are not quite certain if Microsoft can tap into a huge pool of that number. Chinese gamers are traditionally known as PC gamers, so unless Microsoft can convince these players that playing on an Xbox One is just as fun as playing the latest MMO on PC, then success in the market might not turnout as planned.
Furthermore, Sony is not sitting around and allowing Microsoft to take the Chinese market for itself. The company is also preparing to launch the PlayStation 4 in China, but at the moment, it is not certain when the Japanese company will do so.
For those who are wondering how much Microsoft will charge for the Xbox One in China, that information has not yet been revealed. However, by August, Microsoft should make this known.
