The PlayStation 5 Continues to Dominate
The PlayStation 5 has become Sony’s most profitable console generation, surpassing all expectations. However, despite its success, the PlayStation 4 still maintains a significant portion of the user base.
Hideaki Nishino, the newly appointed CEO of SIE’s Platform Business Group, revealed during Sony’s Game & Network Services Business Segment presentation that the PS5’s revenue has nearly equaled that of all other consoles combined after four years in the market (via VGC).
“The PlayStation 5 userbase has seen substantial growth, accounting for half of our monthly active consoles,” Nishino noted. “While the PlayStation 4 remains vital to our business, the engagement from PlayStation 5 players has surpassed that of the previous generation, and we anticipate this trend to continue.”
With 97 million monthly active users on PlayStation, the PS4 accounts for 49 million of those users. In terms of gameplay hours, the PS5 boasts 2.4 billion hours compared to the PS4’s 1.4 billion.
Since its launch in 2020, the PS5 has sold 56 million units, with users showing increased spending (+176%) on add-on content, +57% on services, and +34% on peripherals. Despite high engagement hours, users are spending 12% less on full games.
Hermen Hulst, CEO of SIE’s Studio Business Group, emphasized that Sony’s focus will be on existing successful franchises and new IPs from reputable studios. The company aims to expand its live service games and explore new opportunities to attract different audiences and genres.
Rumors of the PlayStation 5 Pro have been circulating, hinting at a significant mid-generation upgrade that could be “45% faster” than the current PS5, although Sony has not confirmed any details.