BesTV and Microsoft to bring Xbox One to China in September

Today marks a monumental day for Xbox, as together with our partner BesTV New Media Co., we announced we will bring Xbox One to China in September of this year. This is a historic moment in our partnership as we work toward the first official Xbox launch in China. Xbox One will also be the first system of its kind to launch in China.

The culture of games and entertainment is rapidly growing in China, with nearly half a billion people playing games – roughly a third of the country’s population and more than the entire population of North America. The gaming industry saw massive growth in the last year – generating more than $13 billion in 2013, an increase of 38% in the last year alone. Gamers in China have shown they love gaming – mostly on PC, mobile and online – and game developers in China have been delivering innovative games for years. Creators and gamers alike have eagerly awaited a new generation of entertainment experiences in China.

On behalf of the entire Xbox team, we are incredibly excited to bring Xbox One and the next generation of games, entertainment, online education and fitness to China. Launching Xbox One in China is a significant milestone for us and for the industry, and it’s a step forward in our vision to deliver the best games and entertainment experiences to more fans around the world. Enwei Xie will lead Xbox China as general manager, bringing years of Microsoft experience both in China and abroad.

BesTV, a subsidiary of Shanghai Media Group and a worldwide leader in home entertainment technology, is the ideal partner to help us bring our vision to life in China. BesTV has a rich history of delivering innovative entertainment content and an extensive catalog of content to share with future Xbox One owners in China.

Today is the next major step in the partnership with BesTV since forming our joint venture, E-Home Entertainment, during the Shanghai Free Trade Zone expansion in September of last year. We are also honored that E-Home Entertainment was the first company registered through this expansion and look forward to bringing our shared vision with BesTV to reality in China.

Our joint venture is committed to providing opportunities for creators to unleash their imaginations for games, online education and fitness experiences for China and beyond. As part of our partnership, E-Home Entertainment is investing to establish an innovation program that will enable creators and developers to build, publish, and sell their games on Xbox One in China and in other markets where Xbox is available.

We’ll be working hard over the coming months, along with our partners, to ensure we delight a new set of Xbox fans in China in September.

Yusuf