Xbox One launch in China has been delayed, possibly until 2015

Following the lift of China’s ban on gaming consoles in January, Microsoft poised itself to introduce the nation to the Xbox One on September 23. China should have said “No take backs!” however, as that specific launch date has now given way to a general “by the end of this year” launch window, according to a press release from Microsoft. Microsoft will still invite fans to an event on September 22 at the Oriental Pearl Tower, where games will be playable and 100 Xbox One consoles will be given away. Enwei Xie, General Manager of Xbox and Studios at Microsoft China, stressed that those who placed pre-orders for the September 22 launch in mind will still receive their consoles first, “along with an added bonus.”

The Xbox One’s launch in China has been delayed, Microsoft says, to give the console “a bit more time to deliver the best experiences possible for our fans” there. Originally slated to launch Tuesday, that date now has been pushed to “by the end of this year,” Microsoft said. “At Xbox, we pride ourselves on delivering first-rate gaming and entertainment experiences, and to allow us to deliver on that promise, we need to reschedule the launch of Xbox One,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to Polygon. “Working with our partner, BesTV, we look forward to launching in China by the end of this year.” Xbox’s general manager for China promised that those who pre-ordered the console will be “the first to receive Xbox One, along with an added bonus.” A launch event planned for Monday at Shanghai’s Oriental Pearl Tower still will go forward as planned, as will the giveaway of 100 Xbox One consoles there. “We are excited to bring game and entertainment innovation to China,” said Yusuf Mehdi, the chief marketing officer for Xbox. “We have an ambitious vision and we’re working hard with our partners to deliver Xbox One and great games and entertainment to China.” This spring, changes to the law inside the Shanghai Free Trade Zone allowed for the legal sale of video game consoles made by a foreign firm for the first time in 14 years. Microsoft quickly announced a partnership with Chinese entertainment firm BesTV to launch the Xbox One in the country.