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Xbox Series X|S sales in Europe (never particularly strong to begin with) have completely collapsed


Commissar SFLUFAN

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WWW.IGN.COM

It’s no secret that Microsoft is currently last in the console war, but the scale of Xbox’s collapse in Europe in particular is stark. IGN asks why, and wonders what's next for Xbox.

 

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According to fresh data reported by GI.biz, Sony’s PlayStation 5 is “comfortably” number one in Europe, with sales up an incredible 143% over October last year. The near seven-year-old Nintendo Switch is second despite a 20% drop in sales year-on-year. But the Xbox Series X and S have seen a whopping 52% drop in sales.

 

Even month-on-month comparisons are tough for Xbox. PS5 sales are up 11% in October compared to September, Switch sales are up 10%, and Xbox sales are down just under 20%. GI.biz noted that Xbox’s big exclusive Starfield launched in September, whereas PlayStation had Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Nintendo had Super Mario Bros. Wonder in October. Both games broke sales records.

 

 

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So, why does Xbox Series X and S continue to struggle in Europe? What’s caused such a dramatic console sales collapse? There are a number of theories. Speaking to IGN for a follow-up, GI.biz head of games B2B Chris Dring painted a grim picture of Xbox’s fortunes across Europe.

 

“The sheer absence of available console stock last year does skew these figures quite a bit,” he said. “And it’s worth noting that Eurozone countries have never been Xbox’s strongest territories. They revealed back in February they only hold 20% of the market versus PlayStation’s 80%.

 

“However, even in the UK, which is a market where Xbox is a lot more competitive it’s been a tough year, with Xbox Series S and X sales down 23% year-to-date. The reality is the console has very little momentum, which is such a crucial element when it comes to how successful a generation is or isn’t for a platform holder.”

 

 

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11 hours ago, eventide11 said:

Has a console ever NEEDED Europe to survive?


You may be thinking of just the UK. Sony consoles sell only marginally less in Europe than the USA. If sales in Europe fell off a cliff for Sony it would really hurt them. While it is estimate the majority of Nintendo Switch sales are in the USA, Europe still has more sales than Japan. By comparison Japan is a much smaller market. Japan buying more than any single European nation but far less than the region as a whole. 
 

It’s not like Xbox is #1 anywhere in the world. They’re pretty much non-existent in Japan already. Collapsing in Europe would mean that the only territory they do anything in really is North America. Not great news for MS unless GamePass subscriptions are surging in Europe. 

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Apart from the deal that is Game Pass, what’s the actual draw of owning an Xbox now? If you think of the benefits in the 360 era:

 

Best console online experience 

Neat online shop

Best controller

Cheaper console

Exclusives (Halo, Gears, Forza, Fable etc)

Better performing 3rd party releases 

 

Do they have any of that now? I mean, what game would you pick up an Xbox Series X over Spiderman, God of War etc?

 

Maybe they’ll look at a handheld console next time, push Gamepass onto other systems and focus on publishing and acquiring more developers. 

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