Sony has released a number of figures devoted to PS4 shipments, game sales and the growth of PS Plus subscribers. A profit forecast was also made for the entire business year.
Sony released the latest annual report today, substantiating what many industry representatives thought was hardly possible a few years ago: console numbers are outstanding despite smartphones and the like, at least if they carry the name of PS4.
In the latest annual report, Sony refers to 112.3 million PlayStation 4 shipments. Sales up to the end of June were taken into account. A total of 1.9 million PlayStation 4 units were delivered in the three months of the last business quarter that ended on June 30, 2020.
This is 1.3 million less than the 3.2 million that were delivered in the same period of the previous financial year. The approaching generation change is noticeable.
PS Plus Growth Detailed
For the Game & Network Services division, Sony forecasts sales of 2,500 billion yen (approx. USD 23.5 billion) and 240 billion yen (approx. USD 2.26 million) in operating income for the fiscal year ending March 30, 2021, with the company expecting a significant increase in game software sales and a significant increase in hardware sales due to the launch of the PlayStation 5.
Here are a few additional statistics:
- As of June 30, 2020, there were 44.9 million PlayStation Plus (PS Plus) subscribers, an increase of 5.1 million over the 36.2 million subscribers in the same period last year.
- PlayStation 4 software sold 91 million copies in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019. That is 41.2 million more than compared to the 49.8 million sales in the same period of the previous fiscal year.
- 5 million units were first-party titles, an increase of 6.8 million over the 11.7 million units sold in the same period last year.
- 74 percent of the software units sold were digital downloads of full games, compared to 53 percent in the previous year.
The COVID-19 pandemic also appears to have no negative impact on Sony’s business. It is also becoming clear that more and more players are turning to digital sales, which further accelerates the shift towards games download.
In the latest annual report, Sony left open the question of when the PS5 will be launched and how much money has to be paid for it. There is not much time left until the unveiling, as the new console will be launched in the pre-Christmas business.