Xbox denies quitting Europe as report claims no Xbox Series X stock in Poland-Adam Starkey-Entertainment – Metro

Can the Xbox Series X be bottled into a handheld? (Microsoft)

A limited supply of Xbox Series X consoles in Poland has led to concerns around Microsoft’s support in Europe, as the company shifts its priorities.

After poor sales of the Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft has begun to shift its strategy towards being a broader Game Pass platform which can be accessed across multiple devices.

This push has been clear for several years now, with many former Xbox exclusives making their way to other platforms, but it’s been reinforced in a new Xbox marketing campaign which downplays Xbox consoles in favour of phones and laptops.

If the existence of the Xbox Series X/S feels like it’s becoming increasingly irrelevant, with talk of a next generation on its way, it seems like Microsoft might already be winding down support of the console within certain markets in Europe.

These reports originally stem from Polish social media platform Wykop, where a user named Tetsuya posted an alleged statement from Microsoft Support suggesting it has stopped selling the Xbox Series X in ‘some European countries’ due to its new ‘strategic shift’ to Game Pass.

‘The unavailability of the Xbox Series X in markets like Poland and some European countries is largely due to Microsoft’s strategic shift to focus on cloud gaming and subscription services such as Game Pass, rather than promoting or distributing physical consoles,’ reads the statement.

It goes on to cite ‘lower-than-expected sales in these regions’ as a reason for the ‘reduced’ marketing of Xbox hardware, although the legitimacy of the statement has been questioned since the moment it was posted online.

After it went viral, Polish games media outlet Android.com.pl obtained a statement from Xbox, where it confirmed Xbox Series X stock is low in the country in the run-up to Christmas, but that the Xbox Series S is still ‘widely available’.

‘Due to high consumer demand for the Xbox Series X console, supply is limited during the holiday season in Poland,’ the statement reads. ‘At the same time, we would like to inform you that the Xbox Series S is still available for purchase nationwide.’

Microsoft has not yet responded to GameCentral’s request for comment.

The ‘high consumer demand’ is hard to believe considering we know Xbox sales have nosedived in Europe over the past year. Users on ResetEra have also highlighted the lack of stock in other European territories such as Finland, Bulgaria, and Belgium, so it appears as if this is a wider trend.

With Xbox never having been hugely popular across Europe, compared to PlayStation, reports earlier this year claimed retailers across the continent were scaling back Xbox stock due to low sales.

‘I heard it from a very prominent company and one not so prominent… Xbox’s performance in Europe is just flatlining,’ said GamesIndustry.biz editor Christopher Dring back in March.

Beyond Europe, there have been concerns around Xbox stock in other territories. In October, Microsoft gave a very vague answer when addressing reports of Xbox pulling out of Saudi Arabia, while restocks in India have reportedly been delayed until March next year.

Even if this is a temporary hitch, Xbox’s lack of presence in these territories doesn’t bode well for its future hardware plans, or if it simply wants to exist as a brand on other platforms.

Microsoft has teased its next generation console plans on several occasions, which will likely include some kind of handheld device.

Indiana Jones And The Great Circle is Microsoft’s latest ‘exclusive’ (Bethesda)

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