It was recently claimed online that Target and Walmart are preparing to halt the sale of Xbox products. This tidbit surfaced mere days after it was reported that Costco had stopped selling the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X consoles.
However, after a few cursory calls around Target and Walmart stores revealed that wasn’t the case, Microsoft came out and offered clarity on the topic, and no, Target and Walmart are not halting the sale of Xbox consoles and games.
Xbox Consoles Are Still For Sale
It has been a rocky few weeks for Microsoft and Xbox, with claims circulating like wildfire that the tech titans are preparing to pull out of hardware entirely and focus on making and publishing games.
The latest round of rumors claimed that Target and Walmart, two of the United States’ biggest retailers, were preparing to shut down the sale of Xbox products in stores nationwide.
It took a few minutes on the phone with stores and representatives to determine that wasn’t the case in some areas, but then Microsoft came out with a concrete statement, handed to Windows Central:
Target and Walmart, among other retailers, remain committed partners for Xbox consoles, accessories, and games.
Price increases, layoffs, project cancellations, and departures have made this a tumultuous year for Xbox, and the propagation of rumors across social media isn’t helping the situation.
There’s no indication that any retailer other than Costco is reducing or stopping the sale of Xbox hardware. If you waltz into your local Target or Walmart, you’ll still see the consoles on the shelves, ready and waiting to be purchased.
Let me know on the Insider Gaming Discord server if you bought into these Xbox rumors.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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