There’s no doubt that the upcoming PlayStation 5 is one of the most hyped and anticipated new console releases in recent memory. We already know what to expect when it launches and that it is virtually sold out as of this writing, but now we have an idea of just how many PlayStation 5s the company has successfully sold through pre-orders. CEO Jim Ryan spoke to Reuters and stated that “Sony pre-sold as many PS5 consoles in the first 12 hours in the United States as in the first 12 weeks for its predecessor PlayStation 4 device.” In short, this means that the PlayStation 5’s pre-sale numbers have already exceeded the PlayStation 4’s 2013 numbers in terms of how many they were able to sell through pre-orders.
Considering that Sony was able to get more than 2.1 million PlayStation 4’s out of stores by December 2013, his is a huge sign of things to come for the PlayStation 5. We wouldn’t be surprised to see the PlayStation 5 eclipse that number by the year’s end, especially if Sony can make more systems readily available beforehand. Ryan also emphasized this point by stating that “The demand as expressed by the level of pre-order has been very, very considerable, It may well be that not everybody who wants to buy a PlayStation 5 on launch day will be able to find one.” Ryan also mentions that the company is doing everything they can to make sure that stores will have an ample supply by the end of the year.
While Ryan’s words might sound comforting, the likelihood of seeing a lot more PlayStation 5s by the end of 2020 is not very good. It isn’t just an extremely high demand that Sony has to deal with either. The COVID-19 Pandemic has had long and lasting ramifications on the video game industry as a whole, limiting the amount of time and work that usually goes into a high-profile release such as this. Microsoft has been dealing with this as well, with its upcoming Xbox Series X and Series S, which they themselves suffered bad pre-order situation not long after Sony.
The PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition will officially launch on November 12 for select territories and on November 19 everywhere else.