Sony: PS4 pre-orders are ‘breathtakingly high,’ launch day shortages ‘highly likely’

Just in case you couldn't sense the confidence from Sony's camp by the announcement that over one million PS4 consoles have been pre-ordered, Sony UK managing director Fergal Gara has reminded us that PS4 pre-orders are "breathtakingly high." In all fairness, it was brought up over conversation that Microsoft will be offering a free copy of FIFA 14 with the Xbox One.

"That's a robust promotion, I would say," Gara told Gamespot, adding, "We are not seeking to accelerate our preorders any further, to be honest. [PS4 preorders] are breathtakingly high as they are right now. We do not have a preorder problem. We will remain focused on value, and there's lots we can do around launch to make gamers feel looked after in a PS4 world."

When asked if he expects the PS4 to sell out, Gara responded, "It's highly likely there's going to be a shortage."

"Where we are today is, we're trying to think like a retailer and help them not to disappoint their customers, so we've advised them to say beyond August 5th, we're not guaranteeing day one delivery. So the very significant numbers of preorders they had up to that day we're very confident will be delivered for day one.

"We hope that some more people will also get it day one, but as we finalize precise allocations by market and then by retailer, we can offer greater clarity there. For example, an Amazon customer that may have preordered on the 15th of August, might get good news. That's better than getting bad news. We're just trying to give them the clarity to communicate clearly with their customers. It's better to overdeliver than underdeliver," Gara concluded.

The PlayStation 4 is due out in the U.S. on November 15, while releasing in Europe on November 29. It is expected to launch in 32 markets. Meanwhile, Microsoft is sticking with the November launch window for the Xbox One while downsizing its launch market to 13 countries. The company has given no hint as to how pre-orders are faring.

[Gamespot]