Sony shipped 4.5 million next-generation consoles in the third fiscal quarter. This was announced in a report published on the company's website.
According to the disclosed statistics, over the last quarter, Sony organized shipments of about 4.5 million units of the PlayStation 5. This is slightly more than the PlayStation 4 achieved in the same period at the start of sales. In turn, shipments of the previous generation console totaled 1.4 million units. In total for 2020, Sony sold 115.1 million PS4 units. The report says PS5 and accessories are selling at a loss: “PS5 hardware prices were lower than production costs.”
The total revenue of the PlayStation division for the past year was $ 22.7 billion. Thus, Sony set both its own segment record and an industry record. The gaming segment's operating income doubled to $ 767 million. Sales of games and add-ons reached 103.7 million copies, while internal Sony studios sold 18.4 million copies of titles during the year.
Sony said that PS Plus has grown to 47.4 million subscribers, up from 45.9 million in September. Company representatives noted that gamers more often purchased digital copies of games – their share was 53 percent.
According to the corporation's forecasts, by the end of the current fiscal year – March 31, 2021 – the gaming segment will reach a record revenue among all platform holders in the history of video games.
In mid-January, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan said the launch of the next-gen consoles was the largest ever. “Our studios have helped make the console launch the largest in PlayStation history,” Ryan said of the credit to Sony partners.
