Amazon sent out an email blast Friday to customers who preordered an Xbox Series X warning them that they may not receive their console on launch day. PlayStation 5 preorder customers received a similar notification from Amazon last week, thus corroborating what we basically already knew: The preorder season for this next generation of gaming consoles is as much of a shitshow as the rest of 2020.
Just as it did in the PS5 email, Amazon says that console shipments could be delayed “due to high demand” and that customers may not receive their order on November 10, the day Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and its budget counterpart, the Xbox Series S, are due to release.
“We are making every effort with the supplier to procure more inventory,” Amazon’s notification reads according to screenshots shared on social media. “We will provide additional updates once more information becomes available.”
The email goes on to detail how customers can track their shipment status or cancel their order on its website. Again, just as in the PS5 email, it noticeably doesn’t list an alternative delivery date that customers can expect their delayed orders to arrive by.
Amazon confirmed to Gizmodo on Friday that it sent this warning out to all customers who preordered the Xbox Series X, so the shortage doesn’t appear to be limited to any particular international market. A company spokesperson said the email only went to customers who preordered the Series X. If you opted for the Series S, chances are you’ll receive it on launch day, as Amazon doesn’t appear to be fielding the same overwhelming volume of preorders for it as it is for the deluxe model.
It’s ironic that Microsoft would be facing a console shortage given how it’s already fired shots at Sony for how poorly they handled things on their end. After nearly every retailer began offering PS5 preorders ahead of when Sony said they’d become available—thus screwing over many gamers who woke up to find the console sold out everywhere—the Xbox Twitter account pushed out a tweet letting fans know where to find the “exact local start time and participating retailers” (emphasis ours) for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S preorders.
If you weren’t able to snag an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S preorder before they sold out basically everywhere, you may not be entirely out of luck. Earlier this week, the Xbox Twitter account said that fans can “expect more consoles to be available on November 10.”
Update: 9/26/202, 2:55 p.m.: Added in additional information from Amazon regarding Xbox Series S preorders.