No PS5 launch day sales will take place in stores this year, Sony announced on its PlayStation Blog this past Thursday.
The company confirmed the switch to online-only sales this week in response to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The move will allow Sony to keep gamers, retailers and staff safe as England enters into its second nationwide lockdown.
According to Sony, no consoles will be available to purchase in stores on launch day, which is November 12 or November 19 depending on your region. In the UK, the PS5 will launch on November 19.
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“Please don’t plan on camping out or lining up at your local retailer on launch day in hopes of finding a PS5 console for purchase, ”wrote Sony Senior Director of Content Communications Sid Shuman.
“Be safe, stay home, and place your order online”.
If you’ve already pre-ordered the PS5, your situation might differ slightly from on-the-day shoppers. Sony confirmed that gamers with pre-orders should be able to pick up their consoles at their local retailer at a designated appointment time under safety protocols.
You’ll need to get in touch with your local retailer to confirm how they plan to handle the launch under lockdown restrictions, but Game, Smyths and Argos are among those opening their doors for order collections on November 19.
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⚠ LAST CHANCE ⚠ pic.twitter.com/YFFlaoAHFf
— GAME.co.uk (@GAMEdigital) November 4, 2020
Game actually tweeted out a warning to pre-order holders the day before lockdown, stating that everyone with an in-store pre-order must come to the store and pre-purchase their PS5 or Xbox Series X/S before the retailer locked its doors that evening.
Shoppers will then be able to collect their console from the store on November 19.
The good news is that online pre-orders and click and collect orders were not affected by this deadline, though Game does warn customers to keep an eye on their email inbox and junk mail folder in case more important information comes through.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
