Sony has updated PS4 shipments data as the current-gen console has reached a new milestone of 112.3 million. The result was achieved thanks to the 1.9 million console shipped during the three months ended June 30, 2020. This figure is in line with expectations as we are approaching the end of the generation but is still down 1.3 million from the 3.2 million shipped in the same period the previous fiscal year.
PlayStation Plus subscribers are now 44.9 million, up 5.1 million compared to the same period in the previous FY, while software sold for PS4 was 91 million units (+41.2 million). 74% of that amount was digital downloads (+53%). In terms of exclusives The Last of Us Part II, which is the fastest-selling first-party game this gen, and Ghost of Tsushima are “trending well.”
The Japanese platform owner expects a “significant increase in game software sales” and “significant increase in hardware sales due to PlayStation 5 launch” in the coming months.
A console’s supplier has recently reported that PS5 could have ambitious plans in sales as it could get up to 120 million units sold in 5 years.
The launch of the next-gen console is still planned for Holiday 2020, and Sony is not worried about delays of the platform nor games being developed at both first and third-party studios.
“Regarding the launch of PlayStation 5 (“PS5”), although factors such as constraints due to employees working from home and restrictions on international travel remain, necessary measures are being taken and preparations are underway with the launch of the console scheduled for the 2020 holiday season,” reads a briefing from the firm.
“At this time, no major problems have arisen in the game software development pipeline for Sony’s own first-party studios or its partners’ studios,” it adds.
With the most successful current-gen console on the market and the next on the horizon, Sony has taken controversial steps into backwards compatibility for the PS5, as users won’t be able to play PlayStation 5 games with a DualShock 4.
At least, the company is doing the appropriate step to dedicate a State of Play broadcast to PlayStation 4 and VR to wrap such a successful generation up.
