Microsoft says there was a "record-breaking demand" for Xbox Series X and S

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Xbox has said the demand for pre-orders of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S has been "record-breaking". 

Sales for Microsoft's next-gen consoles officially went live yesterday, and Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S pre-orders were quicking selling out at several stores. Social feeds were full of people expressing their frustrations as websites struggled to keep up the demand, while those who managed to put an order through celebrated their successes. 

Xbox said it's humbled by the demand and thanked everyone "for the excitement", before confirming that if you weren't successful at pre-ordering a console more will be coming: "If you weren't successful today be sure to sign up with retailers for updates, and expect more consoles to be available on November 10."

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Ahead of the pre-orders going live, Xbox announced its acquisition of ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Skyrim and Fallout company Bethesda. This also means Doom studio id and Dishonored and Deathloop studio Arkane are now a part of Xbox. Bethesda's catalogue of games will almost certainly be joining Xbox Game Pass, with the news that the studio's long-awaited upcoming title Starfield will also be coming to Game Pass on day one when it eventually releases. 

Many were quick to wonder if this now opens the door to the possibility of seeing a Fallout: New Vegas 2 in the future. Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, recently stated that Bethesda will run "semi-independently" following Microsoft's buy out

We'll be keeping a close eye on retailers to keep track of when the consoles are available again, so be sure to check back with us frequently if you're still trying to secure yourself an Xbox Series X pre-order

Here's what the Xbox acquisition of ZeniMax could mean for games like The Elder Scrolls 6, Starfield, and Deathloop

Heather Wald
Senior staff writer

I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at GamesRadar+. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good.