There may not be enough consoles this Christmas to meet demand, major retailer warns
A surge in interest due to GTA 6 may see a short supply of PS5 and Xbox consoles running out
The release of Grand Theft Auto 6 may lead to a shortage of consoles at Christmas, a major retailer has warned.
A senior games buyer for an unnamed retailer has told The Game Business that the combination of component shortages and price increases mean consoles have been in shorter supply than usual, and that while stock may be available during this relatively quiet period, the release of GTA 6 will “likely” lead to a situation where console stock sells out.
“We’ve been informed that because of the on-going issues around hardware component availability, we won’t be getting the units we want ahead of GTA,” the senior games buyer – speaking without his employer’s permission – told the publication.
“Demand will likely outstrip supply during the year end period,” he added.
The Game Business has contacted Sony and Microsoft for comment on the claims made, but notes that Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball already told the publication earlier this month that supply levels were currently an issue.
“I can tell you definitively demand for our console exceeds the supply,” Ball told it at the time.
“We are putting them in as many stores as possible. We are producing them as quickly as possible. There is a severe limitation to how quickly we can do that, but it’s not a question of appetite.
“We need to do more, but there are constraints here. And so there are, unfortunately, a number of different markets in which we do not have supply. There are other markets in which we have inadequate supply. That is a privilege as a company it is a challenge for us to figure out.”
PlayStation and Rockstar revealed their marketing campaign for the game on Wednesday, which has Sony declaring that it “plays best on PS5”. The expectation is therefore that a large number of PS5 consoles will be sold off the back of this campaign.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is set for release on November 19, and while its physical release won’t include a disc at launch, it will still likely sell in extremely high numbers, including among those who have not yet purchased a current-gen console.
There may be some players who have been continuing to play on PS4 or Xbox One and were planning to upgrade to PS5 or Xbox Series X/S when GTA 6 came out, leading to a likely surge in console prices above that typically expected during the holiday period anyway.
The standard edition of GTA 6 will retail for $80 USD, and the Ultimate Edition, which contains various in-game rewards, will retail for $100 USD.
