According to a Gamasutra article, Chris Liddel, the CFO of Microsoft, says that “‘The [Xbox 360] analysts were expecting more of a launch spike than we were,’ saying that he expected a ‘more gradual ramp toward’ meeting revenue targets, presumably due to a lower volume of available Xbox 360 consoles than some analysts were previously estimating, and perhaps indicating there may be more severe Xbox 360 shortages than some have predicted this holiday season.”