Indian Gamers Petition to Restock PS5: Why Is There A Shortage?

The petition to restock PS5 has seen more signatures than Sony’s official PS5 sales in the country.

Indian gaming community has signed a petition demanding Sony to refill PlayStation 5 stocks in the country.

(Photo: IANS)

The Indian gaming community has signed a petition demanding that Sony brings PlayStation 5 back in stock.

Interestingly, the petition has seen more signatures than Sony’s official PS5 sales in the country. At least 8,482 signatures were signed on Change.org.

A report by IGN suggests that Sony’s official sales for the console are only 5,500 in India.

The online petition was started by an Indian gamer, SV Yesvanth Kumar on 24 April, an Information Security Engineer at a major technology company based in Bengaluru.

"PlayStation 5 launched in US on 12 November, but India got its launch in 2nd February. That's not the problem, the problem is that there's not even a single restock since then. We need PlayStation 5 restock in India [sic]," read the petition posted by Kumar.

Sony doesn’t comment on restocks and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has delayed supply despite some retailers claiming otherwise.

Why Is There A Shortage of PS5?

There are several reasons for this shortage. The major reason is the global semiconductor shortage which is hitting all electronic devices this includes PS5 manufacturing.

Even after all these months, the semiconductor shortage still isn't easing up. Industry experts believe that over the coming months, that's not likely to change. The PS5 is the fastest selling console, which means the demand is more than its supply.

Will There Be A PS5 Restock Soon?

Sony has not officially communicated any details about the availability of PS5 in India. However, several rumours by tipsters suggest that the company is looking to restock its inventory.

Meanwhile, the company's official website shows ‘Notify Me’ instead of ‘Sold Out’. In a statement, the company clarified that it has informed all of its retailers not to take any advance payments or pre-orders of the PS5 until an official confirmation about the restocking of the PS5 is made.

How Are Bots Responsible for this Shortage?

PS5 scalpers are also responsible for this shortage. These scalpers are resellers that use fast bots, and buy up as much stock as they can.

However, several countries such as US and Japan have started to take a more proactive stance in blocking bots during PS5 restocks, making it easier for genuine customers to buy a new console. In India no such action has been taken to tackle these bots.