Ulysse Sabbagh

A rumor based report, published last week in China Daily, revealed that the Chinese government might lift its ban on video game consoles. Apparently, machines built by Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo can’t be bought in China.

This appears to be untrue, according to some investigation led by the good folks at Wired:

But those with knowledge of the Chinese game market told Wired that they believe the ban will remain in place, and that little would change in China even if it were lifted, in part because the ban is largely ignored.

“I’ve stood in a bank lobby [in China] where the promotion for opening a new checking account is a new Wii,” said Lisa Hanson, founder of Niko Partners, a market research firm focused on the Asian game sector. “Not even banks know that this is illegal.