Sony has called off launch plans for its PlayStation 4 in China, just days before the console was set to be sold across the country. According to a statement issued to Reuters today, the delay is attributable to “various factors,” though a source within Sony indicated that negotiations with the “Chinese authorities” are a key factor. At present, Sony has not set a new date for the launch.
Last year, state officials in Beijing brought an end to a 14-year ban on selling foreign games consoles. China implemented the sanction back in 2000 over concerns that video games could negatively impact the physical and mental development of children.
Just months after Beijing announced it was prepared to lift its games console ban, both Sony and Microsoft announced plans to launch the PS4 and Xbox One in the potentially lucrative market.
Microsoft released the Xbox One in China on September 29 last year. The country, with an estimated population of 1.35 billion people, is considered to be the world’s third-largest games market, with annual revenues believed to be as high as $15 billion.
