Xbox One Won’t Release in Asia This Year
Positive news stories about the Xbox One have been pretty hard to come by this past week, and today is no exception, with the news that Asian gamers won’t be able to pick up an Xbox One until “late 2014”, with only a handful of nations getting the console at all.
The news comes from Microsoft’s Alan Bowman, regional vice president for sales and marketing in Asia, in an interview he gave to the Wall Street Journal. Only selected “high growth” markets in Asia will be supported when the console eventually does arrive, so expect to see it turn up in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and India.
A disclaimer appeared on Microsoft’s website today, which states that Xbox Live will only be available in selected countries on launch day, presumably the countries in which the Xbox One is launching this November, so those of you thinking you’ll be able to import a One’ and play it that way better think again:
“Xbox One games are for activation and distribution only in specified geographic regions,” the disclaimer reads. “See game package and/or retailer product information, for each game’s specific geographic regions.”
Regions which will support Xbox Live on Xbox One at launch include:
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Canada
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Ireland
- Italy
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Russia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- United States
Note that Japan isn’t listed above, or in Bowman’s list of “high growth” Asian markets. Also note that the millions of gamers in most of Eastern Europe have been left in the cold. One has to wonder what an earth has been going on at the PR offices at Xbox HQ these last few months, as this E3 has turned into a PR nightmare for the company. Will Xbox be able to pull its public image from the flames? We will watch this space.
