China has officially approved plans to end a 13-year ban on the sale of video game consoles, according to a document released Friday outlining rules for a new free-trade zone in Shanghai. The move could open up a multi-billion dollar market for game developers Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft.

The statement released by the State Council, the body responsible for top-level policy decisions in the country, says foreign companies will be allowed to sell video games and consoles across China, so long as they set up joint venture operations within the new Shanghai FTZ. The games and devices will first be subject to approval by the Ministry of Culture, however.

Game consoles have been banned in China since 2000, because of government concerns over the ideological content of such products and the impact that videogame violence might have on children.

Xbox, Sony Playstation and other consoles by foreign companies have been easy to get at electronics retail outlets across China despite the ban, but gaming companies have never been able to market their products directly to Chinese consumers. In the vacuum, Chinese gamers have largely turned to PC-, cell phone-, and social media-based gaming.