- PS5 preorder customers are being told that they might not receive their consoles until 2021.
- GameStop Ireland is the latest retailer to tell customers that placed PS5 or PS5 Digital Edition preorders that they won’t get their console on time when it launches in November.
- There’s a chance that more PS5 preorders could become available within the next month.
At long last, Sony announced the price and release date of the PlayStation 5 on Wednesday, September 16th. The company also revealed that preorders for its next-generation console would begin on Thursday, September 17th, but on Wednesday evening, preorders suddenly began springing up without any notice. It was an unmitigated disaster as websites were overwhelmed and PS5 consoles went in and out of stock all night. Sony issued an apology and made more preorders available, but it looks like the full scope of the fallout is still coming to light.
According to Video Games Chronicle, some GameStop Ireland customers have been received notices that the store “won’t be able to fulfill your pre-order until 2021.” The notice also claims that the delay is “due to circumstances out of our control,” and gives customers the option to cancel their preorder and get a refund.
This is just the latest of multiple instances of customers being told that they might not receive their PS5 or PS5 Digital Edition order on time or at all this holiday season. As VGC notes, UK retailer ShopTo was given allocation details from Sony about the PS5 stock it would be receiving on Monday, and then emailed customers to let them know whether or not their preorder would be fulfilled on November 19th when the console launches.
These two instances are in addition to the worrisome notices that Amazon customers received in the hours after PS5 preorders went up on the retailer’s website, telling them that they “may not receive this item on the day it is released due to high demand.” No matter where you are in the world, there’s no telling if you will get your PS5 on launch day. This is sure to be a huge headache for customers this fall when they are forced to venture out into the wild during a potential second wave of the pandemic to find a console when their preorder falls through.
The pandemic has undoubtedly led to production and logistics issues for both Sony and Microsoft ahead of the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X this November, but it’s also worth keeping in mind that we’re still over a month out from the release of either console. Both companies are likely flying by the seats of their pants, but it wouldn’t be surprising if there were at least one or two more preorder waves for both consoles within the next month.
