PlayStation will soon have no competition in some regions as Xbox has reportedly decided to bow out of the markets. We first heard back in July that Microsoft was preparing to limit its operations in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), following which a rumor circulated in September that Microsoft was considering stopping sales of Xbox entirely in the Middle East. Looks like that rumor has turned out to be true.
PlayStation domination to continue as Xbox scales back
According to a known Saudi Arabian journalist, who goes as MAlbsimi on X, Microsoft has informed retailers in the country that it will no longer sell Xbox hardware in Saudi Arabia. He added that local distributors won’t be able to officially procure stock, and when MAlbsimi sought a statement from Microsoft, the company declined to give one.
حسب ما وصلني مايكروسوفت أخبرت بشكل رسمي المتاجر الكبيرة في السعودية بإنها بتوقف بيع أجهزة إكس بوكس في السعوديةحتى الموزعين ما راح يقدرون يحصلون عالجهازطلبت تصريح من مايكروسوفت قبل أسابيع بهالخصوص و رفضوا الإدلاء به، و أعتقد لو الكلام مش صحيح كان أنكروه بسهولة— محمد البسيمي (@MAlbsimi) October 10, 2024
شركة أغلقت قسمها المحلي و تدير الأمور من بعد من الخارج مستحيل يكون الا مؤشر على عدم الجدية و عدم الإيمان بمستقبل المنطقةخطوة كبيرة للخلف بينما باقي الصناعة تتخذ خطوات للأمام— محمد البسيمي (@MAlbsimi) October 10, 2024
The Verge’s Tom Warren reported in July that Microsoft was planning to scale back operations in the EMEA region, but it was MAlbsimi who has been sounding the alarm since September, when he first heard that Microsoft was considering pulling Xbox hardware sales in the Middle East. Now, he’s heard from local retailers confirming the news for Saudi Arabia, at least.
It’s unclear what Xbox’s global strategy will be going forward, but the field is wide open for PlayStation and Nintendo.