Xbox One Will Be Region-Locked, Microsoft Spokesman Confirms

Since the unveiling of the new Microsoft Xbox One there news has been news oozing from every gaming source, some truth and some false. But the latest question being asked about the next-gen console is, is it region locked?

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed with Digital Trends website that the Xbox One will indeed be region-locked, meaning all software must match the region of the console itself.

"Similar to the movie and music industry, games must meet country-specific regulatory guidelines before they are cleared for sale," a Microsoft spokesperson told Digital Trends. "We will continue to work with our partners to follow these guidelines with Xbox One."

The original Xbox and Xbox 360 were both region-locked, although the Xbox 360 isn't completely region locked.

Game publishers can decide whether or not to release region free games.

This comes as no surprise however, region-locks are nothing new especially for video games. Different parts of the world have different rules regarding content that is acceptable from both a moral and legal standpoint.

Nintendo's Wii U, Wii and handheld device 3DS are also region-locked, with the last region free console being the Nintendo DS, which launched in 2004.

Microsoft Xbox's rival company PlayStation made their PS3 console region-free with the exception of one title. However, the original PlayStation and PlayStation 2 were region-locked. Sony has not released any news on whether or not the PS4 will be region locked or not.

How will Microsoft compete if Sony decides to unveil their next-gen console as region-free?

"Regarding region blocking, Microsoft don't have anything further to announce at this stage. We'll have more to share later," a Microsoft spokesperson told Polygon.

As of now we still have a lot to look forward too with both consoles and we should see more at this year's E3 event.