Paul Morris·

Sony Says It Sold 4.5 Million PS5 Units In 2020

Sony’s latest earnings tells us that the Japanese company shipped 4.5 million PlayStation 5 units during 2020.

It’s been extremely difficult for consumers to actually get their hands on a PlayStation 5 since its launch in November 2020. Still, despite that supply constraint, the numbers confirm Sony’s previous statement that the PlayStation 5 launch was its biggest console launch ever.

The Japanese business is aiming to try and ship at least 3 million more units worldwide before the end of the fiscal year in order to try and exceed shipments on the console’s predecessor in the fiscal year 2013-2014. The success of the PlayStation 5, however, has had an impact on the older PlayStation 4 hardware with sales of that console continuing to decline. A relatively low 1.4 million PS4 units were sold during the quarter.

In addition to identifying how my units were sold worldwide, Sony also revealed that its operating income has taken a hit due to the fact that it is selling the PlayStation 5 for less than it actually costs to make per unit. Again, this shouldn’t really come as a huge surprise as the same tactic was used with the PlayStation 4 with the aim being to keep the console competitively priced and to recoup those losses elsewhere in its gaming business.

In other parts of the business, numbers were up, up, and away. Sony reported that PlayStation Plus members rose to 47.4 million subscribers, which is an increase of 1.5 million over the previous quarter. The earnings report also gave an insight into the spending power of people who have actually managed to get their hands on a PlayStation 5 console. 87% of those PS5 owners are PS Plus members and are paying a subscription to access those services.

On the whole, the numbers are largely positive for Sony, but it’s really too early to report on the PS5. The console has only been available since November 2020 and the majority of those who actually want to get their hands on one haven’t been able to do so yet due to continued supply constraints.

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