Phil Spencer apologises for Xbox Series X/S supply shortages

Xbox head Phil Spencer has apologised for Xbox Series X/S supply shortages, which are expected to continue for the foreseeable future.

Xbox Series X/S pre-orders went live in September and initial stock was quickly snapped up, leaving many fans unable to secure one of the new consoles for launch on November 10.

Spencer brought up the subject of shortages when asked how the launch has gone for Microsoft during a GlitchCon stream this weekend.

“We need more consoles,” he responded. “The number one request I get over and over is, ‘it’s so hard to get the consoles right now’, and you know I really apologise for that. I mean, we’ve been building them for almost two months now and trying to get as many into the stores as we can, but the demand is just so high.

“But it’s been great,” he continued. “The developers did amazing jobs. I mean, this is just a crazy, crazy year with all kinds of obstacles to getting games done and a platform done, so just kudos to all the teams, both Sony and us, and everybody in third-parties for getting what we’ve been able to get done, done, it’s just been fantastic.”

Spencer recently said the lack of new first-party Xbox Series X/S launch titles isn’t a major concern for Microsoft because demand for the consoles has far outstripped supply.

“In fact, you could argue that holiday 2021 from a lineup is probably more important because from a competitive standpoint, both consoles—knock on wood—will have supply so there will be a demand constraint rather than a supply constraint in the next year,” he told ShackNews.

Xbox chief financial officer Tim Stuart has said Microsoft expects Xbox Series X/S supply shortages to continue until April 2021.

Last Friday Xbox’s experiences and platforms boss Liz Hamren acknowledged the shortage of Xbox Series X/S consoles at launch and encouraged those struggling to find one to continue checking retailers.

“We know that not everyone was able to get an Xbox Series X|S immediately and are working tirelessly with our partners around the world to bring as many new consoles to as many of you as possible over time and encourage you to check in with your local retailers directly for more details on availability in your market,” she said.

Walmart and GameStop will have limited quantities of Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 consoles available for sale next week.

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Xbox Series X/S was Microsoft’s biggest console launch in the UK

Day one sales surpassed Xbox One’s 150k, VGC understands, with Series S making up a third