Fans in the UK and other regions will have to wait even longer for their Sony issued an apology and promised that more stock was on the way.
Sony opened pre-orders for the PS5 shortly after the reveal event earlier this month, and all hell broke loose. Retailers started listing the system at seemingly random times, and the whole situation became fodder for scalpers snapping up systems. The pre-orders quickly filled up and the cheaper digital PS5's stock was lower than expected. As such, there are concerns that the release of the PS5 will be scattered and not everyone will receive one when the system is supposed to launch in mid-November.
There are some retailers who took on too many pre-orders for the PS5, which has resulted in cancelations for systems. According to Video Games Chronicle, UK retailer ShopTo has been sending out emails to people who pre-ordered PS5s, telling them that their order has been canceled. The email claims that Sony has released its allocation details for retailers and it's lower than expected, which means that ShopTo cannot fulfill all of its orders. The customers can hold onto their pre-order, on the off chance that they can snap one up if another pre-order is canceled.
This announcement shouldn't come as a surprise, as Sony has already announced that some Xbox Series X pre-order situation is a lot better, and Microsoft might win this first holiday season, by virtue of actually having the systems available for purchase.
The ShopTo situation is concerning, especially as the UK is due to receive the PS5 later than other regions in the first place. It might have been in Sony's best interests to push the release of the PS5 back to the end of the year, rather than trying to keep up with Microsoft, as this scattered pre-order and release schedule is going to frustrate fans. It remains to be seen whether Microsoft can keep up with its Xbox Series X pre-orders, but the situation is looking dire for people who want a PS5.
The PS5 will be available on November 12, 2020, in select countries and November 19, 2020, globally.
Source: Video Games Chronicle
