Sales of the Xbox Series X|S Have Plummeted in Europe

The Xbox Series X|S isn't doing so well in Europe and we've got the information here.
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Halo Infinite Master Chief Near Other Spartans
Image: Microsoft

The Xbox Series X|S has struggled to gain traction in Europe, with sales plummeting in recent months. According to data from GI.biz, sales of the Xbox Series X|S fell by 52% in October 2023 compared to October 2022. This comes in stark contrast to the PlayStation 5, which saw sales increase by 143% over the last year.

According to data from GI.biz shared with IGN, the Xbox Series X|S has struggled in Europe due to a number of factors. One issue is the lack of big-hitting exclusives. In less than three weeks after launch, Starfield reached 10 million players, but it does not seem to have moved console sales needles.

“The lack of big exclusives are often cited for why this has happened, and some of the big games like Halo: Infinite didn’t provide the boost you might expect. A lot of unreasonable pressure was put on Starfield, and it did cause some sales improvement, but it hasn’t been sustained.”

GI.biz head of games B2B Chris Dring

Another issue is the popularity of Game Pass. Despite being considered a good deal for gamers, Game Pass is having a clear impact on Xbox game sales and possibly even console sales. The Xbox Series X and S and PC versions of Starfield were released at the same time and bundled with Game Pass. Microsoft’s ability to shift hardware is limited by this strategy, which is directly in opposition to Sony’s insistence on launching PC versions of its PlayStation exclusives years after they are released on consoles.

Microsoft plans to launch mid-gen refreshes of its Xbox Series X and S in 2024, and it’s also working on releasing more first-party games. However, it is rumored that Xbox won’t make a comeback in Europe until the next console which won’t come out until 2028. Maybe the solution is to use King, which they acquired from the Activision-Blizzard purchase.

“PC and mobile are dominant platforms across Europe, and will be a more effective avenue for Xbox to reach players in these markets, with its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it is now one of Europe’s most powerful games companies, just in a different way.”

GI.biz head of games B2B Chris Dring

We’ll have to wait and see for more.

Jorge A. Aguilar

Jorge A. Aguilar

Jorge A. Aguilar, also known as Aggy, is the current Assigning Editor.

He started his career as an esports, influencer, and streaming writer for Sportskeeda. He then moved to GFinity Esports to cover streaming, games, guides, and news before moving to the Social team where he ended his time as the Lead of Social Content.

He also worked a writer and editor for both Pro Game Guides and Dot Esports, and as a writer for PC Invasion, Attack of the Fanboy, and Android Police. Aggy is the former Managing Editor and Operations Overseer of N4G Unlocked and a former Gaming editor for WePC.

Throughout his time in the industry, he's trained over 100 writers, written thousands of articles on multiple sites, written more reviews than he cares to count, and edited tens of thousands of articles. He has also written some games published by Tales, some books, and a comic sold to Telus International.

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