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Xbox One games will be region-locked

Microsoft's next-gen console to keep games from one region from running on another region's hardware

Any hope that Microsoft's next console would be importer-friendly has been squashed, as Digital Trends has received confirmation that Xbox One will prevent software of one region from playing on the hardware of another.

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

Like most home consoles, Microsoft's Xbox and Xbox 360 were also region-locked. There is one current exception, as Sony did not mandate region locks for PlayStation 3 games.

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Brendan Sinclair avatar
Brendan Sinclair: Brendan joined GamesIndustry.biz in 2012. Based in Toronto, Ontario, he was previously senior news editor at GameSpot.
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