PlayStation 5 is off to a remarkably strong start as Sony’s financials show the new console sold 4.5 million units before 2020 ended. Early signs of the console’s success came shortly after its release back in November when Sony announced the PlayStation 5’s status as the largest console release in franchise history.
A few weeks ago, PlayStation CEO and President Jim Ryan confirmed what most fans have already predicted based on the PlayStation 4’s achievements in 2013 – PlayStation 5 had the “biggest console launch of all time.”
Prior to the company’s quarterly earnings started making rounds, Sony had been extremely tight-lipped about sales figures for the PlayStation 5. To be fair, though, this release marks the first time that a Sony system has appeared so supply constrained.
Not everyone who wants to have a PlayStation 5 can get their hands on one at present. In addition, stock for the unit online and at physical sellers is always limited when more systems do become available to buy.
Scalpers continue to aggravate the stock shortage problem, but the parts necessary for both the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 aren’t readily available, either. AMD, which is processing microchips to power the new console, recently predicted that such shortages might last throughout much of 2021.
As posted by Daniel Ahmad, a Niko Partners Senior Analyst, Sony shipped 5.9 million units of the PlayStation 5 in the final three months of 2020. The PlayStation 5 accounted for 4.5 million of said units, while PlayStation 4 constituted the remaining 1.4 million.
In terms of hardware:
Sony shipped 5.9 million units of hardware in the quarter.
Of which 1.4m were PS4 and 4.5m were PS5. There was an increase in costs associated with the PS5 launch. It should be noted that the retail price of PS5 is currently lower than the build cost.
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) February 3, 2021
Though Sony sells the new hardware at a loss, since the asking price is lower than building costs, it experienced massive revenue growth. Ahmad notes Sony’s Game and Network Services Segment gathered 883.2 billion yen, approximately $8.43 billion, in revenue between October and December 2020, a 40% year over year increase.
Software sales were soaring, too; PS4 and PS5 owners bought 103.7 million games in the last quarter of 2020 alone. 18.4 million of those sales went to first-party Sony games, Ahmad reported. And, based from industry analyst and Twitter user Benji-Sales, Spider-Man: Miles Morales by Insomniac Games sold 4.1 million copies across the globe in just two months.
Such detail says a lot about where the PlayStation 5’s trajectory might take it next. In comparison, the PlayStation 4 shipped 4.5 million consoles by the end of its 2013 release period, as well. The PS4 has since become the second bestselling home console of all time with over 115 million units sold, trailing behind the PlayStation 2’s record of 155+ million units.
