PlayStation has big plans coming to fruition soon, plans that could change the landscape of the video game market. That's because Sony is planning on bringing the PlayStation 5 to China, a country and region that's historically never been a major factor in the industry's eyes. Now, however, it's perhaps the biggest untapped gaming market in the world. As for what exactly PlayStation's plans are for the PS5 in China, a PlayStation China Press Conference has recently been scheduled to reveal just that.
PlayStation China Press Conference 2021 will officially air on April 29 at 11:00 am CST, Sony announced on Friday. Given that it's targeted toward the Chinese market, the PlayStation China Press Conference will only be broadcast on Chinese platforms with Chinese commentary. While early details about the event are scarce, it's expected that the event will focus on information tied to the PlayStation 5's launch in China. The PS5's Chinese release was previously announced for Q2 2021.
Sony officially acquired approval from China's governing technology board to release the PS5 in the country in December 2020. Though putting together a console launch obviously takes a significant amount of time. Sony's also still struggling to meet PS5 demand throughout the rest of the world, which is why it may have taken so long. For comparison, Xbox also received approval to release the Xbox Series X and S in China this past December, but has yet to confirm an official launch as of yet.
Also likely to be included in the PlayStation China Press Conference 2021 is a range of games coming to the PS5. Nothing has been officially announced, by Sony's China Hero Project shared the news on social media. The China Hero Project is an effort by Sony to support game development within China and already has a growing list of games coming to PlayStation platforms. The China Hero Project Twitter account asked followed which game they were hoping to see at the event.
One specific game appears to be a major focus; Lost Soul Aside from UltiZero Games, a studio that Tencent recently bought a stake in. Little is known about the third-person action game other than that its creator, Yang Bing, was inspired by Final Fantasy and that a short demo released back in 2016 was received positively.
A key detail to keep in mind about the release of the PS5 in China is that it's near-certain to be region locked due to the country's strict regulations on gaming. That could mean that the PlayStation China Press Conference 2021 ultimately has little relevance outside of the country. Regardless, the success of the PS5 in China could change the company's priorities significantly, so it's an event many will be watching.
The PS5 is available now.