PlayStation operating profits have dropped by nearly 30% while gaming revenue has declined by 17%, Sony has revealed. It has also shipped one million fewer PS4 consoles and 13 million fewer games in the fiscal year 2019/20 compared to 2018/19.
PlayStation gaming revenue is down 17.4% year-over-year while operating profit is down 28.3% for Q2. Last year, Sony recorded a 3% drop in sales during the same quarter, though also generated 279 billion yen in profit.
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Sony also announced that despite selling 1 million fewer PS4 consoles, it still shifted 2.8 million units in Q2 and managed to become the second best-selling console ever as a result, selling over 100 million units. This is ahead of the original PlayStation, though a long way behind the PS2, with sold over 155 million units. The PS4 is the fastest console to hit this sales milestone, though is now unlikely to beat out the PS2 in its lifetime considering its current sales trajectory and the upcoming launch of the PS5.
PS4 sales slowing down isn’t too surprising, though this is a steep decline considering the PS5’s launch is still over a year away. Sony recently announced that the PS5 would launch in the 2020 holiday period, there’s still a way to go until it enters the next console generation.
However, it’s likely that the PS4 will pick up some steam in the software department over the next year. Death Stranding will release in November, with it being a timed PS4 exclusive before launching on PC in summer 2020. Next year, The Last of Us 2 will also provide the PS4 with its final major exclusive, as Naughty Dog finally launches its long-awaited sequel to its blockbuster PS3 hit.
Sony has released snippets of information regarding the PS5, though the console has yet to be officially revealed. Even though the PS4’s life cycle is clearly grinding to a halt, it has been hugely successful for the company, which will be looking to replace its success with its next system.
