Tech giant Sony Corp on Thursday said that it will delay the sales of its PlayStation 4 gaming console in China.
Releasing a statement on Thursday, the company said that the sales of its gaming consoles that were originally scheduled for January 11 have been postpone in the Asian country due to various factors.
The Computer Entertainment division of Sony said that a new date for opening PS4 sales in China had not yet been decided.
According to a company’s source, the main reason behind the delay is the prolonged negotiations with the Chinese authorities.
The development comes as a setback for the gaming enthusiasts who have been long waiting for the entry of PlayStation in China.
The release of PS4 would have marked PlayStation’s entry into the Chinese market for the first time at a time when Sony is witnessing hard times as far as its gaming business is concerned.
In 2014, the Chinese government had removed a 14-year ban on foreign gaming consoles, paving the way for Sony’s key rival Microsoft Corp to unveil its latest generation Xbox in the Asian country in September.
The tech giants Sony and Microsoft also face tough competition from mobile and PC games, which have been dominating the Chinese gaming market in their 14-year absence.
Sony officials said that the company is currently working on applying for licences for as many as 30 games. The firm has sought to leave censorship concerns, saying it is working rigorously with the Beijing.
“Cooperating with the government, we’ll provide a broad range of content for our users in China,” Hiroyuki Oda, head of Asia business at Sony Computer Entertainment, has said last year.
Sony has planned to sell the PlayStation 4 in Chinese market for 2,899 yuan (USD 467), slightly higher than the price in the US where it is sold for nearly USD 400. Sony has priced the portable PlayStation Vita at 1,299 yuan.
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