Game consoles sales booming in Taiwan
Sales of gaming consoles in the Taiwan market have been brisk in the first half of 2021, spurred mainly by stay-at-home economic activities and the release of the next-generation consoles by brand vendors.
According to sources at channel operators, the supply of Sony's PS5 in the local market has been in short supply since 2020, and the new consoles are sold out immediately upon arrival.
Microsoft expects its local shipments of Xbox Series X/S devices to increase by over three-fold in the first half of 2021 from the same period of a year earlier, according to Hsu Hung-wei, marketing manager for wearables and Xbox of Microsoft Taiwan.
Hsu attributed the staggering sales growth to the introduction of the Xbox Game Pass service in the local market, saying users' affiliation to the gaming subscriber service has reached nearly 80%.
Microsoft will continue to expand the gaming titles to its Xbox Game Pass platform, with the MLB The Show 21 to be available on the platform in April, having added EA Play and Bethesda in March, Hsu revealed.
The Microsoft Flight Simulator will be available in the summer, and the Age of Empires IV and Halo Infinite will come online in the second half of the year, Hsu added.
Meanwhile, Nintendo has announced that it will reopen a branch office in Taiwan, after closing its local sales office in 2014. Market observers believe that Nintendo aims to promote online subscriber business by optimizing the branch office.
