Game software and console hardware regions must match; lock introduced to comply with international laws.

The Xbox One will require game software to match the console's hardware region to play, according to a report by Digital Trends.

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to the publication that region-specific encoding will be put in place to comply with legal requirements for selling the hardware across various global markets.

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

Microsoft includes a similar feature on the Xbox 360, but allows game developers and publishers to determine whether they will opt to lock out players who import games from other countries. Nintendo“s Wii U software is also tied to the country of console purchase. Sony is yet to make an announcement regarding region locking on the PlayStation 4.

While the PlayStation 3 natively allows users to play discs from other countries, the PlayStation 3 version of Atlus-published fighter Persona 4 Arena recently became the first game on the platform to enforce region locking.

GameSpot contacted Microsoft, seeking confirmation and clarification of the report. The company was unable to provide a comment at the time of publication.

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