Xbox console sales got a big boost in the UK thanks in part to Starfield launch

Xbox console hardware sales have not been doing well in the UK in 2023. Sales of the Xbox Series S and X consoles were down 23 percent year to year until the end of August, according to data from GfK. However, the week ending September 2 had some great news on the Xbox sales front in that country.

Gamesindustry.biz reports that sales of the Xbox Series S and X went up 76 percent week-to-week in the UK for that week, again according to data from Gfk. The story added:

GfK games boss Dorian Bloch says that the week is the biggest this year (so far) for Xbox Series S and X hardware sales in the UK. Meanwhile, the week ending September 9th is currently the second best week.

As usual, the data does not reveal specific unit sales numbers for the consoles.

This new rise in Xbox console sales is likely due to two factors. One is the release of Starfield, the sci-fi RPG that is an Xbox console exclusive. The game launched in Early Access on September 1 in the UK, and Gfk stated that the Xbox Series X had a 46 percent boost in sales for the week ending September 2.

The other factor is the release of the black 1TB Xbox Series S, which costs a bit more compared to the standard white version of the console. Gfk said that model contributed 20 percent of all Xbox console sales in the UK for the week that ended on September 9th.

The big question is whether or not Microsoft can keep that momentum going. The company does have another major first-party game, Forza Motorsport, that's due to launch in October and could also help to spike sales of the console.

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