Xbox head honcho Phil Spencer is now apologizing for the Xbox Series X|S supply issues. According to him, the demand is “just so high” that they can’t keep up.
In a GlitchCon stream this week, Spencer brought up the subject of a supply shortage. When asked about the state of launch for the Xbox Series X|S, he apologized for the lack of consoles. He notes that the entire production is running in full gear for two months now.
“The demand is just so high,” says Spencer
The Xbox Series X, Series S, and even Sony’s Playstation 5 is severely under a supply shortage.
The demand for the consoles is high, especially as the holiday seasons are on their way. Amazon event sent emails that pre-ordered consoles might not come on time for Christmas.
Phil Spencer knows the trouble so far. The Xbox head went so far as to apologize to players for missing the mark.
“We need more consoles,” Spencer lamented. “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 apologize 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 detailed further on the stream. “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.”
A paradigm shift in the games industry caused extreme demand
The video games industry is in overdrive due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While game development received a heavy cap, the entire industry thrived. The pandemic pushed a global paradigm shift with how people work and play.
With extended danger regarding going outside, gamers are now looking for more ways to play.
The solution came in the form of consoles like the Xbox Series X|S and PC. Much of the gaming hardware industry had unprecedented shortages, especially with new releases.
“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,” said Spencer to ShackNews.
Various storefronts would have limited stocks of the Xbox Series X|S and the PS5. Walmart and GameStop announced that they will have stocks ready for Black Friday.
Featured image courtesy of Xbox/Youtube Screenshot