While the PS5 broke all sales records with at least 6.3 million console sales in the first quarter of 2023. Thanks to this performance, Sony recorded the best results ever recorded for the Playstation division. Close to $27 billion turnover.
Of course, the manufacturer can thank the sales of the PS5 and PS4, which generated phenomenal turnover. $8.297 billion in fiscal year 2022. Software sales are also doing well at Sony, with a profit of over $6.367 billion. The same cannot be said for general game sales.
Playstations sell well, games a little less
As a matter of fact, Sony sold 264.2 million games in fiscal year 2022, ie. 39 million units decrease compared to 2021. You’ll admit, these numbers are staggering. Normally, an increase in console sales is usually followed by an increase in game sales. But that’s not the case here on the PS5.
Why this ? The price of games partly explains this trend. Since the launch of PS5 in November 2020, Sony has decided to increase the entry ticket for Playstation exclusive games at the following price: €79.99 instead of the traditional 69.99 €.
In the process, many publishers such as Ubisoft or EA have chosen to apply this new price list for their next generation productions. And in the face of this price increase, players have adapted. As a result, of course, they spend more money on a single game, but in return they buy fewer games per year.
More expensive and therefore less purchase
During the presentation of the results for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023, Sony Third-party game sales on Playstation Store drop 38.6 million. And to explain this phenomenon, the Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 example is particularly illustrative.
Activision generated nearly $1 billion in revenue in the first 10 days after its launch in October 2022. And contrary to popular belief, the release of the FPS king did not increase overall game sales. In the third quarter of 2022, Sony sold a total of 86.5 million games, including 65.7 million third-party games. Compared to the third quarter of 2021, this represents a 6.2 million drop in sales. As you can see, the COD MW2 case explains this trend perfectly: gamers who prefer to spend their budget on one title at the expense of other editions.
Source : sony
