Xbox Outsells PlayStation In Japan For First Time Since 2014

The sales in Japan for Xbox Series S last week surpassed those of PlayStation 5, making this the first time an Xbox console has outsold a PlayStation in any given week since 2014.

According to Famitsu, during the week of May 9 through May 15, the Xbox Series S console sold 6,120 units. Sales of the PlayStation 5 disc version and digital edition consoles were at 2,240 and 493 units, respectively, for a combined total of 2,693 units.

This specific incident is most likely due to the low supply of PlayStation 5 consoles whereas Xbox Series S supply is more plentiful. Last year, Sony reportedly told analysts that shortages for its latest console will continue through 2022.

The last time a similar situation happened was when the Xbox One was first released in Japan back in 2014, clocking in 23,562 units sold during its launch week compared to the 6,373 units of PlayStation 4 consoles sold during that same time period.

The Xbox brand isn't as popular overseas in Japan compared to its homegrown competitors PlayStation and Nintendo. At the very least, Xbox Series X|S sales have already surpassed Xbox One's lifetime sales in Japan. Microsoft understands that the Japanese market, as well as the broader Asian area, is important and says that Xbox is seeing phenomenal growth there.

While Xbox still has work to do in Japan, it does have a Japanese studio within its first-party portfolio: Tango Gameworks. The studio recently released Ghostwire: Tokyo, but it is currently a timed console exclusive on PlayStation 5 and is expected to launch sometime next year on Microsoft platforms.