SCEA: There may be a PS3 retail shortage in the coming months

SCEA senior director of corporate communications, Patrick Seybold, has revealed that there may be PS3 shortage at retail in the next few months.

Commenting on the latest NPD figures, Seybold explained that there is a very high demand for the console at the moment, thanks in part to the new price point we imagine.

"We're working very hard with our retail partners to meet consumer interest, but the demand is tremendously high for the PS3 and we expect tight inventory in the coming months," he said (via Joystiq).

"The strong demand carrying through the holidays was evident, and early in the month we [knew] there was going to be limited supply of the PS3 at retail in January.

"We're working closely with the retail channel to meet this demand, but expect tight supply for the coming months."

Seybold also said that "this momentum is fueled by a stellar holiday" along with the releases MAG and BioShock 2.

SCEA boss Jack Tretton also acknowledged a PS3 shortage in response to the NPDs, citing the "36 percent sales increase on PS3 hardware when compared to last January" and called it "remarkable" given the "tight inventory" Sony's been experiencing since fall 2009.

PS3 came in fourth on the hardware charts for January, having moved 276.9K compared to top seller Wii at 465.8K.

More through the links.