PS5 Pre-Orders From Amazon May Not Arrive at Launch

Some customers who pre-ordered a PlayStation 5 via Amazon are receiving emails that warn them they may not get their console when the PS5 is officially released on November 12.

“We’re contacting you about your order of PlayStation 5 Console to let you know in advance that you may not receive this item on the day it is released due to high demand,” reads a copy of the email. “We’ll make every effort to get the item to you as soon as possible once released.”

The above text is taken from an email received by an Amazon customer who ordered the standard edition of the PS5, but we’ve seen a copy of a similar email that was sent to those who ordered the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition. In fact, video game personality Geoff Keighley tweeted a copy of an Amazon email he recently received that informed him his PlayStation 5 Digital Edition console may not be delivered on launch day.

For what it’s worth, it doesn’t seem that everyone who ordered a PS5 via Amazon has received a similar email. While it’s possible (maybe even likely) that Amazon will send out more of these emails over the next few weeks, the fact that not everyone seems to have received this message yet would tend to suggest that this isn’t simply a precaution that all Amazon customers are receiving just in case the worst happens.

There’s also no evidence that would suggest that everyone who received this email will not receive a PS5 on launch day. It’s difficult to say just how many people who received this email won’t get a PS5 on launch day, but it’s a near guarantee that some of the people who got a copy of this message (and perhaps a few other customers) won’t get a PS5 on time.

So did Amazon “oversell” the PS5? We’re waiting on Amazon to expand on this boilerplate message, but that does seem like a real possibility. If everyone who purchased a PS5 via Amazon received the same message, then we could argue that it’s just a standard warning that shipments could be delayed and your PS5 may arrive a little later than usual. Such as it is, though, it seems Amazon may be anticipating the all-too-familiar console launch scenario where shortages, shipment problems, and good old unforeseen circumstances mean that not everybody who pre-ordered a PS5 will actually get one as soon as it’s available.