Sony Closes PlayStation Store In China Amid Security Concerns

The world’s largest video game market can be found in China and with the coronavirus pandemic, the purchasing of video games has increased significantly. PlayStation is one of the top sellers in China, but at least temporarily, people will not be able to buy products from PlayStation.

Sony, PlayStation’s parent company, announced on Sunday that they will be temporarily closing its PlayStation Store in mainland China, citing the need to improve the store’s online security, which would prevent Sony from selling any PlayStation products.

The closure comes following reports that PlayStation users in mainland China were able to bypass the restrictions of the Chinese government and were able to download unlicensed games using overseas services. 

The number of games available for Sony and PlayStation to sell, as well as competitor Nintendo, are extremely limited because of the restrictions of the Chinese government. Last year, the PlayStation Store in China was able to only add 13 games while Nintendo was only allowed to offer three games on the Nintendo Switch in its China store. 

In China, both foreign and domestic companies need to get a license from the content regulator prior to releasing any game in China. This is because of fears by the Chinese government that violent games could potentially have a negative impact on the mental well being of younger users.

Sony has not announced as to when the PlayStation Store in China will be reopening.