Xbox One will be region-locked (update)

Xbox One, Microsoft's next-generation console will be region-locked, a Microsoft representative confirmed with Digital Trends.

"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."

Microsoft's original Xbox and the Xbox 360 were both region-locked, although the decision to release region-free games on the Xbox 360 is up to the publisher.

Nintendo's Wii U, Wii and 3DS were also region-locked, with the company's last region free console being the DS, which launched in 2004. Sony's PlayStation 3 was region-free, with the exception of one title; however, the original PlayStation and PlayStation 2 were region-locked. To date, Sony has not confirmed if PlayStation 4 will be region-locked.

We've reached out to Microsoft for more details and will update this post as more information comes to hand.

Update: "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.