‘Demand has been very, very considerable’
As you are all perfectly aware, it has been extremely difficult to secure a PlayStation 5 pre-order. We’ve detailed the retailer pre-order snafu in the past, but here’s the takeaway: Only the very fortunate have managed to pre-buy the PS5. Everyone else is left to hope they can get one around launch; more realistically, they’ll be able to find one in 2021.
According to a Reuters report, there’s a good reason why PS5 pre-orders flew off the proverbial shelves. Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan explains that PS5 pre-orders in the first 12 hours of availability matched the PS4’s pre-order numbers over its first three months. Ryan points out the obvious by saying “The demand as expressed by the level of pre-order has been very, very considerable.” It took PS5 half a day to do what PS4 took 90 days.
Analyst Daniel Ahmad extrapolates on this statistic and estimates that the PlayStation 5 has cleared one million global pre-orders. It’s not a perfect estimate, however, as Ryan’s quote seems only pointed at US pre-orders and the PS4 pre-order data is worldwide. Still, that seems to be the ballpark we’re working with.
Ryan also hinted at launch availability issues that everyone foresaw. “It may well be that not everybody who wants to buy a PS5 on launch day will be able to find one,” he says. However, there’s a glimmer of hope as Ryan adds that Sony is “working as hard as we ever can [to ensure supply for the year-end shopping season].”
Sony seeing ‘very considerable’ PS5 demand ahead of launch [Reuters]
