Not even a week passes by when Xbox isn’t involved in some controversy or backlash, and the latest report that Grand Theft Auto 6 pre-orders on PS5 were apparently beating it by 6-to-1 surely didn’t help. The information came from IGN, which later updated the ratio to 8-to-1 but clarified that the data was derived through IGN Finds and its affiliate linking program.
Nevertheless, this prompted a spokesperson to tell Windows Central that this “doesn’t represent pre-order data. We’ve had record orders. People should wait for real data and not clicks on affiliate links.”
They’re not wrong, even with IGN’s significant influence in the gaming sphere. Why did Xbox feel the need to clarify this, especially considering all the other ongoing issues, like impending layoffs? There’s also the small matter of announcing a big game, Senua, from a studio like Ninja Theory, while apparently knowing that it’s on the chopping block in July.
Regardless, Grand Theft Auto 6 is a big deal, and with Xbox announcing more price hikes for its Series X/S consoles, this clarification may be a way to tackle any negative implications. Of course, even if Xbox is seeing record pre-order numbers, you have to remember that it’s a relative figure, since there are far more PS5 consoles out there.
Grand Theft Auto 6 launches on November 19th, and it should be interesting to see its returns, especially given the reported budget of over $2 billion. Stay tuned for updates in the meantime.
