Xenoblade suffers stock shortages

The long-awaited cult JPRG Xenoblade Chronicles has finally arrived in the UK today, but consumers might not be able to get their hands on it just yet.

Online retailer ShopTo.net has confirmed to MCV that the game is suffering from stock shortages after a surge of last-minute demand has exceeded Nintendo’s expectations for the title.

"There is more stock coming in," said ShopTo director Matt McGrotty. "We’re expecting more back in next week. I think Nintendo were just a bit short on first week’s shipping.

"There was an increase in pre-orders on Monday and Tuesday, which caught us unawares."

Word of stock shortages first emerged yesterday when ShopTo tweeted: "Due to the unexpected late demand for Xenoblade Chronicles the publisher has experienced great stock shortages of this title."

N-Europe claims that many local branches of larger chains have also reported low stock levels.

However, GAME has confirmed that it has plenty of stock for both the standard edition and exclusive collector’s edition, which comes with a red Classic Controller Pro.

MCV has contacted Nintendo for comment.

Xenoblade Chronicles was released in Japan last year. Nintendo announced the game would be released in Europe earlier this year after strong consumer demand. The company has yet to confirm a US release.

UPDATE: HMV has also reported that it has good levels of stock for Xenoblade.