Xbox Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball replied on X on September 24 to Verge reporter Tom Warren after reporting surfaced that GTA 6 preorders were heavily skewed toward PS5. Ball wrote: "We are very happy with GTA VI pre-orders. The title is breaking records for XBOX, we expect even more records will be broken throughout the fall, and our internal analysis shows our share of pre-orders to be matching our share of the console market." Push Square and Pure Xbox both covered the exchange.
Ball's point rests on the installed base gap between the two platforms. The PS5 is near 100 million units sold against an estimated 35 million Xbox Series X and S consoles, roughly 3 to 1. If Xbox's share of GTA 6 preorders matches its share of the console market, a heavy PS5 lead is what you would expect.
The Verge's report cited Xbox sources saying preorders were 'heavily skewed toward PS5,' and framed it as more alarm bells for the platform. Ball's reply does not dispute that PS5 leads, only that the gap is a problem. Microsoft, Sony, and Rockstar have not released preorder figures. GTA 6 launches November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X and S.