Xbox Denies Complaints Over GTA 6 Pre-orders, Says Share Matches Console Market
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- Xbox menegaskan tidak ada kekhawatiran soal dominasi pre-order GTA 6 di PS5, menyebut capaian tersebut justru memecahkan rekor internal.
- Data Sensor Tower menunjukkan PS5 menguasai 77% pre-order dengan 4,35 juta kopi, sementara Xbox hanya 23% atau 1,3 juta unit.
- Peluncuran GTA 6 pada 19 November mendatang berpotensi mengubah peta penjualan konsol dan strategi pemasaran di pasar global, termasuk Indonesia.
With the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) only weeks away, debate over pre-order figures has flared up. Xbox, through Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball, denied reports claiming Microsoft was unhappy with the game's pre-order performance. Ball stressed the company was in fact pleased because GTA 6 set a new record for the Xbox platform.
Data from sales tracker Sensor Tower shows a striking disparity: GTA 6 pre-orders on PlayStation 5 reached 77%, or about 4.35 million copies, equivalent to US$426 million in revenue. Meanwhile, Xbox Series X|S accounted for only 23% of the share, or 1.3 million units worth US$128 million. The ratio is more than 3:1 in Sony's favor.
Responding to the figures, Ball wrote on his personal X account, "We are very happy with GTA 6 pre-orders. This title is breaking records for Xbox, we expect more records to be set throughout the fall, and our internal analysis shows our pre-order share is in line with our console market share." He was responding to a post claiming there was dissatisfaction inside Microsoft.
"We are very happy with GTA 6 pre-orders. This title is breaking records for Xbox... our pre-order share is in line with our console market share." — Matthew Ball, Chief Strategy Officer, Xbox
Ball's argument about the share matching the market has a basis. The PS5 install base is indeed far larger than that of the Xbox Series X|S. However, some users online doubted the statement, especially after a wave of mass layoffs at Xbox days earlier, which affected Halo Studios and shifted control of the Halo franchise to Activision.
On the other hand, GTA 6's promotional engine keeps running. A marketing campaign in Miami, Florida, invites visitors to explore Vice City. Gamer enthusiasm is rising too, with many planning to take time off work when the game launches. The phenomenon shows GTA 6 is not merely an entertainment product but a cultural event that moves multiple sectors.
For the Indonesian market, the GTA 6 launch could be a catalyst for console and gaming accessory sales. Although Xbox is not widely sold officially in Indonesia, PlayStation's dominance there was established long ago. GTA 6's arrival could strengthen the PS5's position as the main console while also driving physical and digital game sales at local retailers. However, high retail prices and large storage requirements could pose their own challenges for consumers.
Looking ahead, the question is not only who wins in pre-orders, but how game distribution and subscription services will adapt to the surge in demand. Can Xbox seize this moment to expand its fan base in Southeast Asia, or will it fall further behind Sony? Time will tell, but one thing is certain: GTA 6 has changed the gaming industry landscape even before its release.
