GameStop predicting largest console launch in history
After experiencing falling sales numbers over the last quarter due to new console anticipation, GameStop CEO Paul Rines predicts the upcoming release of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will be the largest in history.
During a quarterly earnings call, GameStop President Tony Bartel said they have a “significant increase” in unit quantities for the release of both systems. He describes the launch allocations as “unprecedented” and “much stronger” than ones for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
While Rines and Bartel didn’t offer any hard numbers when it came to pre-orders, they did say their “first to know” notification service saw 1.5 million potential buyers interested in knowing more about the PS4 compared to the 700,000 for the Xbox One. Microsoft hasn’t given any pre-order numbers either, but Sony said they’ve had over one million pre-orders so far and expect to sell out on day one.
There’s been no exact release date announced for Microsoft’s new console, but they did say it would arrive sometime in November. Thirteen markets are planned for the console’s launch, and twenty three games will be available day one, including Xbox Live games Crimson Dragon, Killer Instinct, LocoCycle and Powerstar Golf.
Sources: CVG & GameSpot UK