After rumors surfaced earlier this week that the retail chain Costco had removed Xbox units from store shelves and UK websites, the company has officially confirmed it is, in fact, true.
Ex-IGN employee and current YouTuber Destin Legarie called Costco about the matter and was told by a representative “We don’t have any plans going forward to carry an Xbox console.” Legarie then further says it was a “business decision.”
As for the exact reason behind the removal, we don’t quite know. It’s fairly well documented that console sales have been declining over the last few years. In Microsoft’s latest earnings report, despite content and services sales going up, Xbox console sales had dropped by 22 percent.
That’s in addition to the fact that we don’t know exactly how many units the Xbox Series X|S have moved, due to the fact Microsoft stopped reporting actual sales numbers a few years.
To that end, it’s entirely possible that keeping Xbox systems in stock simply wasn’t worth it for Costco anymore. This is especially true for a membership-driven warehouse retailer that could just as easily replace the item with something else.
Interestingly, a commentor on Legarie’s post also says he was told the say thing by EBGames Canada, and that the retailer is only selling whatever they have left online.
This also comes just a week after Microsoft raised prices on all of its consoles, again. Here’s what the new pricing looks like
- Xbox Series S 512 – $399.99
- Xbox Series S 1 TB – $449.99
- Xbox Series X Digital – $599.99
- Xbox Series X – $649.99
- Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition – $799.99
With store removals and raising prices, it’s hard to see Xbox’s sales situation improving. But at the same time, it’s become pretty clear the company is shifting away from trying to move consoles, and focusing much harder on software and services. That’s evidenced by the swathe of games coming to PlayStation and Nintendo, including Grounded, Gears of War, and Forza. And the company’s whole “This is an Xbox” marketing initiative.
