PS5 Surpasses 65 Million Sales, Hardware Slows

Sony Group Corp. SONY has reported that the PlayStation 5 (PS5) has surpassed 65 million units sold.

However, the company also revealed that PS5 hardware sales have declined compared to the same period last year. While sales dropped from 8.2 million units to 6.2 million, Sony noted improvements in hardware profitability, Eurogamer reported.

Software Sales And Network Services

In contrast to the dip in hardware sales, Sony’s software sales have remained strong. The company shipped 131.3 million games in the first half of its financial year, with 11.3 million of those being first-party titles.

See Also: Unboxing The PS5 Pro: What’s Changed In Sony’s Latest Console Upgrade

Astro Bot, a game released in early September, accounted for 1.5 million of those copies, showing the continued demand for PlayStation's exclusive titles. Ghost of Tsushima also saw continued success, selling 13 million copies across both PS5 and PC.

The report also mentioned that earnings were supported by “a new sports title” and “an action RPG title from China,” which are believed to be EA Sports FC 25 and Black Myth: Wukong, respectively.

PlayStation Plus Subscription Growth Slows

PlayStation Plus subscriptions, which are a key part of Sony's network services, have shown slower growth. The service now has 116 million subscribers, up from 107 million the previous year. However, there was no additional growth since the previous quarter, indicating a plateau in subscription numbers.

Future Strategy: Balancing Single-Player And Live Service Games

Looking ahead, Sony plans to maintain a balanced portfolio of single-player games, which the company describes as having a higher likelihood of success due to its established intellectual properties. At the same time, Sony is continuing to invest in live service games, which present potential for greater revenue but come with more risk.

"We intend to build on an optimum title portfolio during the current mid-range plan period, that combines single-player games, which are our strength and which have a higher predictability of becoming hits due to our proven IP, with live service games that pursue upside, while taking on a certain amount of risk upon release," Sony stated in its report.

The upcoming PS5 Pro is also part of Sony's future strategy. The new console, which is expected to launch soon, is designed to enhance the PlayStation experience with a selection of games confirmed to be optimized for the upgraded hardware.

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