What you need to know
- According to a new report on GfK data, Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S console has reached a milestone of over 2 million units sold in the UK.
- This number was reached in 128 weeks since launch, beating the Switch by 12 weeks. However, both the Xbox One and Xbox 360 hit this milestone faster, as did the PS5 and some other past consoles.
- The Xbox Series X and S were (and still are, to a lesser degree) affected significantly by supply constraints due to extremely high demand in 2020-21 and component shortages.
- This news comes concurrently to the European Commission’s announcement that it will approve Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
According to a new report on sales information from the data analysis company GfK, Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S console has hit over 2 million sales in the United Kingdom (UK).
The report says this sales number was reached in 128 weeks since the system’s November 2020 launch, generating £696 million in revenue and beating the Nintendo Switch’s ascent to the milestone by 12 weeks. However, the Xbox Series X|S reached 2 million sales slower than two of Microsoft’s previous systems — the Xbox 360 and Xbox One — did. It also falls behind Sony’s PS5, which hit the achievement in 98 weeks.
The Xbox One stands as Microsoft’s fastest-selling system in the UK. It sold 2 million units in 104 weeks, with the Xbox 360 close behind at 110. The original Xbox from 2002 took 162 weeks to reach the 2 million sales mark.
| Console | Position | Release Year | Launch Price | Weeks to 2m Sales | Revenue at 2m Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo Wii | 1 | 2006 | £180 | 57 | £358m |
| PS2 | 2 | 2000 | £299 | 60 | £469m |
| PS4 | 3 | 2013 | £375 | 75 | £700m |
| PS5 | 4 | 2020 | £425 | 98 | £919m |
| PS3 | 5 | 2007 | £420 | 98 | £638m |
| Xbox One | 6 | 2013 | £450 | 104 | £726m |
| Xbox 360 | 7 | 2005 | £254 | 110 | £507m |
| PS1 | 8 | 1995 | £299 | 114 | £179m |
| Xbox Series X|S | 9 | 2020 | £386 | 128 | £696m |
| Nintendo Switch | 10 | 2017 | £285 | 140 | £279m |
| Xbox | 11 | 2002 | £295 | 162 | £280m |
It’s important to note that both the Xbox Series X and S have been affected significantly by stock issues at various times, with the Series X in particular often being difficult to find. Between the surging demand for gaming systems in 2020-21 and widespread component shortages causing supply constraints, it’s been tough to secure a console for the last few years. You may struggle to find stock even today, though the market has stabilized quite a lot in the last year or so.
When you factor in the shortages, the sales performance of Microsoft’s consoles in the UK is okay, though notably, supply issues like these have affected competing systems like the PS5 has well.
The news of Xbox’s milestone comes concurrently with the announcement of the European Commission’s approval of Microsoft’s $69b Activision Blizzard purchase. The regulator’s support of the merger is exciting for those hoping for its success, though both the United States Federal Trade Commission and the UK’s Competition and Market Authority have moved to block the deal.
