China is lifting its ban on video game consoles

video game
(Image credit: iStock)

China will lift its ban on making and selling video game consoles in the country, The Wall Street Journal reports. The new rules will allow both domestic and foreign manufacturers to operate throughout China, according to the Ministry of Culture.

The market potential is thought to be huge. Given difficulty accessing consoles like the Wii, PlayStation, and Xbox, gamers now play mostly on their phones and online. Previously, foreign manufacturers like Nintendo and Sony could only do business in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, due to a ban enacted in 2000 out of concern for Chinese youth.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.