Sony has revealed its current-gen system, PlayStation 4, has now shipped 102.8 million units, eclipsing both the original PlayStation and Nintendo Wii and making it the second-highest selling home console of all time, second only to the PlayStation 2 which boasts 155m lifetime sales.
By comparison, it’s estimated that Microsoft’s Xbox One has sold around 41m consoles, although the company has chosen not to formally confirm hardware sales of its current-gen system.
Making the announcement as part of its quarterly financial report, Sony’s latest figures see the PS4’s total sales jump 2.8m since July 2019. Though software unit sales have increased on the previous quarter – up 42.9m – when compared year-on-year, sales have fallen from 75.1m this time last year to 61.3 million games at the end of Q2. 37 per cent of its full game software sales were digital.
It wasn’t all good news from Sony, however. Its PlayStation business saw “significant decreases” over the period, with sales generated in its Game & Network Services division – which houses PlayStation – falling 17 per cent year-over-year (YoY) to ¥454.4 billion ($4.17 billion), down ¥95.7 billion ($878.5 million) on the same period last year (thanks, GI.biz). Operating income, too, has fallen, plummeting ¥25.6 billion ($235 million) – 28 per cent – to ¥65 billion ($596.7 million).
Despite an increase in PlayStation Plus subscribers – up from 34.3m to 36.2m users YoY – the company attributes the drop in hardware and game sales to the near-end of the current-gen cycle, presumably as players prepare for PlayStation 5, which is slated to release in time for Christmas 2020.
Consequently, Sony has decreased its forecast for the remainder of the fiscal year, revising its expected sales and operating revenue down 2 per cent, or ¥200 billion. It also acknowledged “the impact of a change in the launch date of a first-party title,” namely the pushing back of The Last of Us 2 – Sony’s highly-anticipated sequel to Naughty Dog’s narrative-driven title.
