Over the past year we have talked ad nauseam about the chip shortage and how it affected – and continues to affect, in fact – a myriad of industries, including the production of video game consoles. For several months to get a new PlayStation or Xbox is practically impossible; And although the situation varies somewhat from country to country, in general terms the global outlook is not very promising yet. However, Microsoft has managed to break its own records at the hands of the Xbox Series X | SWell, they are already the generation of consoles that has reported the best sales, taking the period since its launch.
This was stated by Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, in an interview with Kara Swisher for The New York Times (via Eurogamer). Among the various topics he referred to, the manager mentioned the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the increase in demand for consoles and online games. And so came the big news: “At this point, we have sold more of this generation of Xbox, which is made up of the Xbox Series X and S, than any previous version of Xbox. So it is our job to bring the supply to meet that demand”.
Spencer does not mention specific figures, but it is clear that he makes a comparison of the number of consoles sold during its first year available. Recall that the Xbox Series X | S were launched on November 10, 2020, so they have only been on the market for 14 months. There are still no official numbers on the number of units sold since their arrival to the public, as Microsoft stopped reporting them in 2014; However, some estimates until the end of last September were around the 7 million. While other more optimistic reports mentioned a figure close to 11 million by the end of 2021.
The Xbox Series X | S have a beastly sales pace, according to Phil Spencer
As we mentioned at the beginning, the shortage of components has had a very strong impact on the production of video game consoles. However, Phil Spencer assures that the difficulty in obtaining the Xbox Series X | S is not necessarily due to the deficiencies in the supply chain; but corresponds to the extremely high demand from users.
“When you think about trying to get an Xbox or a new PlayStation on the market right now, they’re really hard to find. And it’s not because the offer is smaller than before. Actually, the offer is bigger than ever. demand is exceeding supply for all of us, “said the head of Xbox.
Similarly, Spencer acknowledged that chip shortages have also become an everyday issue for the team behind the Xbox Series X | S. Solving the logistics for devices to reach consumers is a job that demands permanent attention. And he also assured that a good part of the energies are put into solving increasingly recurring problems, like resale and hoarders.
How do you manage to get real customers to buy our consoles and not be a bunch of resellers and bots securing capacity? It’s several steps, and right now it’s a 24/7 job for the team.
Phil Spencer on the high demand for Xbox Series X | S
Beyond the success and high demand for the Xbox Series X | S, Microsoft has also experienced a very productive 2021 in the cloud. With the successful launch of Xbox Cloud Gaming, the firm has even managed to breathe new life into older devices, such as the Xbox One.