Xbox Series X and S Sales Have Collapsed in Europe

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.

[gold_drake]

i mean, europe is nintendo and playstaion land.

xbox never had a foothold here.

and the lack of exclusives didnt help their case since the x1.

[Nyxus]

While true, as the article point out the Xbox is also doing badly in the UK, which was once a stronghold for the brand in Europe.

[RaiderNation]

And they're trailing in their native country. It doesn't look good for Xbox.

[VenomUK]

Xbox is also facing challenges in the UK market. Gameindustry.biz is 'diplomatic' so it doesn't consistently share a weekly breakdown of a game's sales by format to not upset a prime sponsor - M****s**t. However, it has revealed that with big franchises like Call of Duty MW2 and Hogwarts Legacy sell more copies on last-gen console the PS4 than they do on Xbox Series S + X combined.

Gamesindustry.biz: '82% of Hogwarts Legacy's sales were on PS5, with the remaining 18% on Xbox Series S & X.'
https://www.gamesindustry.b...

Gamesindustry.biz on Elden Ring launch week: '63% of boxed sales were on PS5, with 17% on Xbox, 17% on PS4 and 3% on PC. Note: PC and Xbox are heavily digital platforms, this is purely for boxed sales.'
https://www.gamesindustry.b...

[Hofstaderman]

True, especially during the 360 era.

[mike32UK]

Yeah, back in the 360 days. PS4 / XBone were much more neck and neck

[JEECE]

Yep. So many people were deluded by Xbox 360's admittedly excellent performance in the US into believing that Xbox was a strong brand worldwide. Even then PS3 routinely outsold 360 in Europe, but back then places like IGN only talked about NPD numbers and rarely mentioned that they didn't represent the entire world.

[Aloymetal]

'' So many people were deluded by Xbox 360's admittedly excellent performance in the US into believing that Xbox was a strong brand worldwide.''
This a 1000%!!
Not to mention, the PS brand (PS3) helped a lot by having a few hiccups like releasing a yr after,(not rushed like the 360) higher price due to the cheapest blu-ray on the market etc, etc...And still, we all know what happened at the end. When you can't beat your ''opponent'' at its ''weakest'' it's practically impossible to beat them at their best.

[Crows90]

It is really unfortunate. Living in the US I can definitely testify that many people that live here just think that what they do here is what is done worldwide. The expectations that they have and the thinking that they have they think is shared worldwide. It really isn't. The 360 released before the PS3 and the PS3 released badly because of the pricing. Once that debacle was over and done the PS3 surpassed the 360 quite easily. This is where people forget to look at the numbers especially in the us.

[Chevalier]

It's funny to see the same stupid excuses that Xbox does more digital sales then to see that Europe data INCLUDES digital sales and no Xbox sales are just as bad digital too. It's all round bad. Terrible console, physical and digital game sales.

[sagapo]

The X360 had great exclusives at least, nothing “deluded” about that.
But it all went downhill quickly after with the X-one.

[Mulando]

Well, they did when the xb360 arrived but PS3 catched up quite good. They had good numbers but they totally missed out to do anything (e.g. advertisement) here in Europe. Maybe in the UK but the rest....
It always seems like MS is only looking for the US market and if it runs good there they hope it will go over to the other countries. That was maybe working in the early 2000s and 90s but not now.
And yes there is the games problem. They have a very diverse catalog (racing, rts, flight-simulation, shooters, jump & run, ...) of games while Sony has almost only a few genres (with many games) but there they have really good games. I like a wide range of genres but the quality is an issue. Yes I also can have fun with titles like crackdown 3 (just as a totally mindless shooter) but most of the time a bit more polish was missing.

[SyntheticForm]

Xbox let themselves go after the 360 and never made an effort to come back. I'm not surprised. When you don't care about what you're doing why should anyone else?

Xbox deserves to be in third and they deserve to be yelled at for it.

[shinoff2183]

Xbox forgot to finish the 360 generation, then it went completely downhill after.

[Jin_Sakai]

Are these things even selling in America? I took this photo this morning at one of the local Walmarts.

https://i.ibb.co/zHNLhGS/IM...

[Charlieboy333]

I would say they at least had a foothold.......but now they've slipped and fallen off the cliff

[gold_drake]

not in europe they didnt. lol.

america yes, absolutely.

[Nyxus]

“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.”

[Barlos]

I am genuinely interested to know why sale are down so much. It can't be the lack of games, because on the whole PS5 hasn't been drowning in games either.

Is it just down to brand loyalty, or is there something else going on? Xbox has had some pretty high profile - if underwhelming - games out this year, so why?

[RaiderNation]

Because both PlayStation and Nintendo are just better/more preferred. They produce much higher quality, more compelling games. Xbox's main focus is a subscription service. It really isn't that complicated.

[Vengeance1138]

I would think its very very obvious why hardware sales have collapsed. Why would anyone need to buy a physical machine when its not at all required to play Xbox games? Theres PC gamepass and apparently GamePass plays on Smart TVs now? Theres just no reason to buy a console to run the games.

Not to mention Xbox users have been so trained now to think that spending money on something is some kind of scam so perhaps they dont see the value in buying hardware and want everything for free.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Brand loyalty and the fact when people are entrenched in an ecosystem for long time they need a major incentive to leave.

Most iPhone users will never go back to Android.

[darthv72]

I think you got it the other way around. iphone users who go to android never go back. Its why iphone has been making changes to try to be more like android... so people dont leave.

[Nyxus]

I've owned every Xbox up until the Series. There's just no reason to get one imo.

[jwillj2k4]

Games are the incentive. Maybe not to leave but to buy both. If they had good exclusives that I wanted to play I'd buy a system. It's as simple as that.

I agree with your phone statement I need my phone to just work. I dont want to tinker with tons of menus and options. When I finally switched to iPhone I knew I wouldn't ever go back to android unless Apple severely fucks up.

[badz149]

the informed gamers should know that there is very little reason to get an xbox right now. you buy (or build) a PC, no need for it to be high-end or anything, you get access to GP, the same games, the same friends list and most importantly, free online! I know that's what I'm doing.

To be perfectly honest, last gen, back before GP and before MS decided to launch their games day and date on PC and especially Steam, I wanted to get the xbone IF I can get a good deal. what convinced me to do it? Gears4. the disc version includes the previous games too. I have only played the 1st game briefly but never finished it. so 4 games for the price of 1?? count me in. bought the disc and waited for a good deal but then all the decisions MS made came into play and I ultimately decided to not buy an xbox.

[shinoff2183]

343 I think your on the right track but I agree with Darth on the phone part.

Bad don't forget ssome of the gamepass games on pc arere better for instance fallout 3 and new vegas are goty editions. Not [n xbox gamepass though

[darthv72]

Could the ABK deal have anything to do with it? I hear it was more heavily scrutinized over there than anywhere else. Plus, MS pushes a digital sub model that retailers have thought, why carry the games if people just buy them digitally or play on gamepass. So the retail space shrinks, the marketing image of XB shrinks... it could be any number of things.

[Flakegriffin]

You have one company who gives you your moneys worth and another one who rather focus on being a rental company.

Nothing wrong with either or but it makes sense the company who offers quality will outsell a company who offers a good rental service. Eventually Microsoft will become Tencent of America and they will just place their Gamepass all over thus bringing in multiple revenues.

I can see Gamepass working on PlayStation and/or Nintendo devices one year. Maybe not soon but eventually.

[MrDead]

MS never supported their own system and the sales reflect that, now their plan is to buy up multiplatform publishers to force people there if they want to keep playing. MS is creatively bankrupt, they can't offer the gaming community anything so they just take what's already there. The company with the most money to invest in new content has been nothing but a leech.

Fingers crossed that removing choice of what platform people like to play on will backfire and MS will leave the industry, hopefully a company that cares about creating games instead of banning them form other systems will buy the Xbox brand.

[XBManiac]

How many Xbox Series ads have you watched on TV, heard on radio, seen in mainstream media, absorbed from paid Social Media, physical shops full of banners or in the metro/bus/trains/buildings... and how many from PlayStation 5? Well... in my case, I have only seen Sony marketing working and ZERO from Xbox outside of Xbox websites or some punctual places online.
If most of the people, potential buyers, don't know about your mainstream product... and you only depend of friends and family to do the marketing job... it is difficult to sell a product like Xbox Series, because there isn't a necessity created and PlayStation 5 is the one with FC24 ads in the Champions League, as well as the one with Spider-Man 2.

[Phoenix76]

There are lots of factors as to why the MS/xbox brand has gone down. Like trying to control the market (buying up everyone) rather than trying to lead it. Or their push for a all digital future thar would of been mainly controlled by them (DRM and GP services). Or the fact they mostly focus on the American audience rather than worldwide. I remember the SPORTS, SPORTS, TV, SPORTS TV E3 show, all of which was American centric focused.

Sadly, MS/xbox have done this to themselves. Everything they've done in last 10yrs has ultimately been bad for the industry long term. And now the prospect of them "possibly" leaving said industry through poor sale is also bad imo as it removes competition from Sony.

[shinoff2183]

The ps5 though and switch even they get alot of games xbox still don't get. Are there any legend of heroes games on xbox, those are big for me. Xbox doesnt have the support the others have. The base wouldnt tpuch most of those type of games imo though

[randomvoice]

Better console that has better exclusive sells more. Xbox fanboys are the only ones with pikachu surprise looks but the whole world knows great exclusives overtime build trust and people will spend more money to buy that console since they can consistently rely on Sony and Nintendo to deliver on that front.

[recoctimocassirnff]

"I am genuinely interested to know why sale are down so much. It can't be the lack of games, because..."

Are you actually serious right now??!

MS has literally had the last 2 DECADES of underwhelming to abysmal first party output and quality and you are gonna sit there with a straight face and say "iT cAn'T bE tHe lAcK oF gAMs..."

I have no words.

[S2Killinit]

PlayStation has had a good amount of great games actually. Certainly in a different league from xbox.

They also have VR games which are also missing from xbox.

[Chocoburger]

MS burned their fan base for too many years, I turned my back on them from the whole DRM fiasco and was hoping they'd turn things around afterward, but they only kept going in the wrong direction for the past decade.

This is what Sega did when they kept releasing Genesis add on hardware, and abandoned the Saturn too soon outside of Japan.

The Dreamcast came out roaring with amazing games day 1,but their fan base had diminished and moved over to Sony and Nintendo by then. The same thing is happening here, just replace Sega with Microsoft.

[raiden_188]

I'm guessing it's because we are in a cost of living crisis here in the UK, with high inflation and high mortgage rates. This is why people might be cutting back on luxury items like this.

[TiredGamer]

But they continue to buy Nintendo and Sony?

[Barlos]

But Switch and PS5 are still doing well here on the UK.

[DOMination-]

Cost of living is high around the world and as others rightfully say, other gaming and tech brands are doing as well as ever.

Xbox failure for the last two generations is purely on being simply not compelling enough for consumers.

[ocelot07]

If it's down the cost of living in the UK. Then wouldn't the series s be the number 1 selling console? Has been available for about £189 brand new and as little as £120 second hand for a long time now.

Cheap console + £5-10 a month for gamepass and get to play hundreds of games as well as some day one releases. But it always playstation and sometimes switch that sells the most month in and month out. So it's not cost of living at all. It's just people prefer playstation/Nintendo/pc rather than Xbox.

[Chevalier]

No of it were the cost of living all 3 consoles would suffer in sales. Unfortunately 2 out of 3 are selling a ton and breaking records for consoles and IPs so your theory holds no weight

[Soulsborne]

And they wanted Japan... lmfao.

[badz149]

they want Nintendo!

[S2Killinit]

Well, they had a lot of focus on PR instead of a focus on building. They are reaping the rewards of their business decisions.

[XBManiac]

PR focused on US and... Japan, maybe? Well... maybe the problem is Xbox Series S, because the effort to sell it has been huge in money and work that could have been better invested in making Xbox Series X more attractive. For example, selling it at a lower price, making more units at launch, making it easier for developers just by having ONE platform (with or without blu-ray disk drive), working on full backwards improved compatibility... Well, all those things that time and money invested on Xbox Series S subtracted from the true next-generation Xbox.

[Chevalier]

If they told me I could play every single one of my 360 games I would buy a Series X tomorrow and trade my Xbox One immediately.

[Hereandthere]

You need compelling exclusives that tell stories, xbox needs to cut the pc away from their exclusives for at least a year, last but not least is, EXCLUSIVES EXCLUSIVES. If its on PC ITS NOT EXCLUSIVE.

[XBManiac]

Add Xbox Game Pass to your PC... you can play Xbox Games on other platforms (TV with controllers connected by Bluetooth included). If it is not only on a platform (like Nintendo does), it is not exclusive. I don't understand the down votes... I play Xbox Games on my phone and laptop everyday.

[XBManiac]

No surprise. It is more expensive than PS5 (I mean, Xbox Series X... because Xbox Series S compares to Xbox One X or PS5 Pro, not PS5), games are more expensive than on other platforms, It is nearly to impossible to buy physical titles for Xbox in Europe, support is near to non existent if the controller fails or the system overheats or anything happens out of warranty... and last but most important... of course, you don't need an Xbox Series console to play Xbox games.

[Aloymetal]

Next up:
''Why the collapsing of Series S & X sales in Europe (and most of Earth) is a great thing for MS and the industry and how this news is indicative of its dominant future in the console space''
I thought this gen was gonna be different...

[gold_drake]

it will definitely come, trust me aha

[Aloymetal]

No doubt;)

[StarkR3ality]

Lack of top tier exclusives and no real reason owning it over a PC. It's not brain sience. Why would I own an Xbox when I have a PC that's already a generation or two ahead of any console?

Although you know what is the biggest contributing factor to the poor performance of hardware? Their entire business strategy is against hardware altogether almost. Why sell 40 million consoles at a loss when you can get game pass on TV's and PC's directly?

Their hardware is selling terribly, but i've got a feeling they dont care. Reckon this will be the last console generation for Xbox and they'll just publish their games on PC.

[Chevalier]

Really? Please go read the FTC leaked documents where it clearly shows they do care about console and software sales. Also shows they know how Gamepass affects these things. They also say they don't care about Sony/Playstation, but, those documents show that's a lie too.

[StarkR3ality]

I'm not saying they don't care out and out, but hardware isn't their goal. It never has been in Microsoft's entire history.

They are a software company first and foremost, and that's where their attentions have been since game pass was launched.

[MrNinosan]

They have a very low subscription count for GamePass thou, so the money is still lost.

[StarkR3ality]

I'm not saying the strategy is working..

But that is their strategy. I'm not defending them, quite the opposite, I'm just stating the facts.

[DOMination-]

Microsoft have started killing off/transitioning some of their poor performing brands/products recently. Bing as an example is going to be phased gradually out over the next few years in favour of CoPilot.

With Xbox, I believe more than ever that the recent 2027 rumour is a real thing. They'll rebrand back to Microsoft Game Studios or something else for a clean start and become a third party publisher. Ironically, Sony and Nintendo may not allow Game Pass still so they might have to abandon that entirely.

As long as they have King/Blizzard/CoD money rolling in they probably won't care.

I just hope they don't completely destroy their RPG studios and IPs like Forza Horizon and of course GEARS but its hard to have too much faith in their leadership team right now.

[Futureshark]

More like prolapsed then just collapsed.

[Hofstaderman]

Like the opening of the large intestine...

[Yusi-D-Jordan]

I just don’t get the appeal of the xbox. It seems like such an all-American consumer multi-entertainment hub thing, as opposed to PS or Nintendo which have the feel of a gaming console.

[ocelot07]

If I'm going to guess. It's because lack of trust (I don't trust them one bit). As well people just simply preferring playstation and Nintendo and even laptops and pc. Then you have the fact that all ms games are available on pc and via cloud.

Gamepass is just not all that appealing. The series s is the extra bit on the side for people who don't want a pc. Get a ps5 and switch for great exclusives and multiplatforms. Use the series s to try some new releases and Xbox only games for pennies per month.

[BlackTar187]

Why does n4g more reload my browser when the commercial ends? What a crap thing to do

[Doomeduk]

Cost of living these days makes subscriptions come to the forefront these days and with their ever increasing prices are 2 console subscriptions in one house really justified ? PSN Spotify I can't do without anything else has to earn the right to have a rummage around in my pocket
What do you think little Timmy would rather play Xmas morning astrobot and ratchet GOT..or redfall and starfield
Being a parent with a screaming hangover Xmas and 8yr old Timmy shouting " it's fking loading again ?

[Barlos]

You let 8 year old Timmy swear like that?

[jznrpg]

It’s collapsing everywhere.

Series X is available for 349$ today on several sites and still in stock. If PS5 was anywhere near that they would be sold out in no time. These are US sites I’m talking about.

Xbox has burned a lot of bridges. XB1 and Scorpio were huge disappointments and people remember that. Plus Halo Redfall and Starfield were not what they were hyped up to be. You can pay/manipulate for high reviews that’s only going to hurt you in the long run and burn more bridges. Xbox is on the last bridge and they bet on a rental sub service to save them

[shadowT]

Xbox Series X needs a price cut, down to €350

[Nacho_Z]

It does make you wonder. If releasing big games like Starfield doesn't stop the rot then there's trouble ahead. Those big acquisitions need to pay off but it looks like they're going to fall flat on their face and end up as a wasted fortune.

[rakentaja]

The EU is very PC oriented. People just have a powerful PC and a PS5. I know how things are there. If PS5 games came to PC on day one, no one would buy a Playstation either.

[PCgamer98]

Honestly you're better off just building a pc than buying a series x at this point.

[Father__Merrin]

its gamepass and day one exclusives that has nailed them in a coffin. just think back to massive exclusive xbox releases with millions rushing out day one etc real console selling its all gone now

[Binarycode]

BYEBOX

[ironmonkey]

damn its so bad that it stinks.

[randomvoice]

The console is dead in the water. Their biggest unit mover game came and went without much fan fare. With Starfield out, there is literally nothing big coming in the next year or two when it comes to big titles with a lot of marketing dollars to help sales. Only thing they'll bank on is COD with gamepass but COD is multi-platform anyways and most people don't give a shit about buying a whole new console with gamepass when they already might own a PS5.

The end of this year is gonna be historic. If you look at the sales numbers, PS5 is at 46 million with XSS+XSX is at 24 million. By December, PS5 will probably officially outsell Xbox 2:1 at the rate it is going and after that just like the PS4 gen, the snowball will get too big to ever catch up.

[Games1st]

Needs some Activision games.

[DarXyde]

I still think Microsoft is going the third party route. Maybe even exclusively stream in certain regions.

I still think Xbox will cease to exist and they are going to just become Microsoft Game Pass.

[bigfish]

Xbox were doing quite well until they started this subscription malarkey. I guess they are invested in the model now so will have to see it through.

[ARESWARLORD]

I like Xbox and PlayStation. I have both. Xbox seems to be doing just fine in Canada. Pretty sure it's doing just fine and the rest of North America as well.

How it does or doesn't do in Europe doesn't matter at all to me as long as it does well here.

[Elda]

LOL! Oh well...

[repsahj]

They deserved it.

[Knightofelemia]

Lack of exclusives to draw me in and entice me to buy an Xbox just isn't there that would turn me away. I sold my Series X and upgraded my PS5 to the slim model. PS4 has so many good exclusives that can be played on PS5. And Nintendo will always be a fan favorite because their games are great and fun to play. And I mean who wants a Series S where games have to be nerfed to play them.

[boing1]

PS5 with DualSense and normal ssd expansion is more cutting edge. It is also a gateway to a proper VR, if you choose to hop in. You do not get this choice with Xbox. I would say PS5 offers experiences which Xbox will never have. And people see it.

[Nuclearmoon]

In the UK everyone I knew had a Xbox 360 instead of a PS3. The 360 releasing a year earlier got a lot of extra customers and the 360 was a solid gaming/social console. People stuck around though the RROD till the end of the generation. But (and a big but), Microsoft alienated most of their fanbase with the xbone reveal, while ticking off people like me who had purchased the kinect to then be disappointed in it, to then being forced to purchase it again.

[anast]

HA!

[Abear21]

Are people starting to realize console gaming is in trouble? The PC company owns the rights to a huge portion of the industry and they don’t know what console gamers want and are forcing a Sub model. This is bad news for consumers and all those cheering M$ and all the acquisitions will be wondering wtf happened to the industry they love in another few years.

[Starman69]

They've been very clever. They don't really need to be in the hardware market, they can make so much more money from buying software companies.