Valve's Steam platform and Sony's PlayStation 5 console have finally made their debut in China. With regards to the former, Chinese users had been utilizing the international version of the client, but the government could essentially shut down access to it without any warning. Similarly, the PlayStation 5 was not officially available in the region and was primarily being imported from overseas. Both of these things are changing soon.
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As reported by Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad, the public beta for Steam China is now live and can be accessed here. It currently contains around 40 games - including DOTA 2, Human Fall Flat, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive -, in line with what Valve announced previously. The Chinese client only offers titles that are approved by the Chinese government and adhere to its strict regulations, for example, regarding the display of blood and gambling.
In the same vein, Ahmad has shared a video of Sony Interactive Entertainment Shanghai president Tatsuo Eguchi, and vice chairman Soeda Takehito confirming that the PlayStation 5 is launching in China in the second quarter of 2021. The analyst has also stated that the Mainland China version of the console may be subject to region-locking.
Both these pieces of news will likely be welcomed by gamers in China. While they may be subject to stricter government regulations, the move provides security to purchases made via official channels. That said, Chinese gamers have likely spent thousands of dollars in purchases on the international version of Steam, so it remains to be seen how Valve will be dealing with it now that the official localized counterpart has launched in the region.
Source: Daniel Ahmad (1) (2) via The Verge
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