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Domestic players are bandits? Who will play the game in the console game market?
Since 2013, after 15 years of enforcing the "Opinions on the Special Administration of Electronic Game Venues," which effectively banned the sale of game consoles, China gradually began to ease its restrictions. This shift opened new possibilities for domestic manufacturers, who started exploring ways to seize market opportunities. They realized that with the return of the three major players—Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft—the Chinese console market would become highly competitive, leaving little room for others.
Domestic companies were often seen as opportunists in the gaming world. But who exactly would be interested in playing games on a console? From 2015 to 2016, Lenovo entered the scene with its own "game console" using a bold approach. It combined TV set-top box features with a flawed Android-based system, aiming to capture a slice of the market between PC/mobile gamers and traditional console users. Unfortunately, the result was a disaster. The gaming experience was severely compromised, leading core gamers to completely ignore the product, while casual players found it confusing and unappealing.
Sony and Microsoft made their moves into the Chinese market one after another, but their impact remained limited. When the Shanghai Free Trade Zone allowed foreign companies to produce and sell game consoles, international players quickly began setting up shop. In September 2013, Microsoft partnered with Best Practice, and in 2014, Sony PlayStation collaborated with Oriental Pearl Culture. From late 2014 to early 2015, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles were officially sold in China.
However, over the past few years, sales of these consoles have not met expectations. Microsoft and Sony haven't released official sales figures, but according to reports from gaming market research firms, the combined sales of Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in China this year were around 550,000 units. By comparison, PlayStation 4 has sold about 34 million globally, and Xbox One has reached 20 million. This clearly shows that the Chinese market hasn’t contributed significantly to the success of these consoles.
Despite the mainland's massive population, which usually gives any product a huge advantage, the game console market is an exception. Neither foreign nor domestic companies have managed to make a lasting impact. Fifteen years after the initial ban, the market still feels neglected. What are the underlying issues? Where is the future of China’s game console industry heading? These questions remain unanswered, but the path forward is clear: innovation, better user experiences, and a deeper understanding of local consumer behavior will be key to breaking through.