BesTV, the company that Microsoft partnered with to release its Xbox One in China, is doing OK according to the company’s 2014 fiscal report. But the subsidiary company that’s in charge of the Xbox One? That’s not doing so hot. Techweb reports that it lost RMB 17.24 million (US$2.75 million) in 2014.
Beyond launch sales of 100,000 units (including preorders), it isn’t clear just how well the Chinese version of the Xbox One has sold. Some loss may be expected at the launch of a console given the investment necessary in terms of marketing and prep work, but the BesTV subsidiary’s figures certainly don’t suggest that the Chinese market warmed up much to the console after its initially lukewarm reception. Neither do public ecommerce sales figures: Tmall has shipped fewer than 200 units of the console in the past month, for example.
The console’s unimpressive sales, and subsequently its in-the-red 2014 financial record, are due in part to the console’s extremely limited number of games and the fact that it’s region locked, so imported games won’t play. But it’s also worth remembering that consoles and console games have been available on China’s gray market for the past decade, uncensored and at low cost, yet China’s console gaming market remains tiny.
Facing losses and a lack of market interest, BesTV, Microsoft, and the Xbox One have one bright spot of hope left on the horizon: Halo. Halo games have been the driving force behind the sale of many Xbox consoles starting with the device’s first generation, and last month Microsoft China confirmed that it’s working hard to bring the Master Chief to China. Will that be enough to beleaguered console around?
(Source: Techweb)
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