The importance of a properly executed marketing campaign can't be understated for companies looking to deliver a clear and intuitive message to consumers, and it seems Microsoft may have missed the mark with the Xbox Series X.
Originally a source of mockery (for a good reason), the names chosen by Microsoft for the next evolution of the Xbox brand seemed rather derivate, perceived more as a slight upgrade to their current-gen offerings as opposed to being a full-fledged next-gen piece of hardware.
As it turns out, the concerns weren't unfounded, with statistics backing up that plenty of people have not yet understood that the Xbox One X and the Series X are two totally different consoles.
Amazon Associate and founder of Nintendo Deals, Andrew Alerts, shared via his Twitter account that sales of the Xbox One X skyrocketed at Amazon, going as far as seeing an increase of 747%, just as the pre-orders for both the Series X and Series S went live.
Xbox One X sales rank is up 747% on Amazon lol...
— Andrew Alerts (@AndrewAlerts) September 22, 2020
Wonder how many people bought an Xbox One X instead of an Xbox Series X https://t.co/atj4thPwqDpic.twitter.com/CUzRkib3Sr
This massive oversight is being compared to that of the Wii U debacle, as Nintendo did everything in their power to let people know it was, in fact, a new console and not just a Wii add-on only to fail spectacularly with sales taking a nosedive almost single-handedly ruining the company.
Read more: PS5 vs Xbox Series X comparison: Price, specs and launch games
While we don't think the Xbox Series X will take a hit in sales as dramatic as the Wii U's, we're sure more than a few households will be disappointed when they realise they got their hands on the wrong Xbox.