The lifecycle of the PlayStation 5 may be ending sooner than gamers were hoping, with Sony’s latest financial report bringing some worrying news about the console.
In Sony’s latest financial report, the company highlighted the triumph of its latest gaming hardware and how it reached a new significant milestone with 54.7 million PS5 units sold. However, the company also revealed a revised forecast for the console’s future sales and is now anticipating a gradual decline in PS5 sales throughout the upcoming fiscal year that extends from April 2024 to March 2025.
Originally, Sony had planned to sell 25 million PS5 units by this March. This goal was reduced to 21 million units after the company reported sales of 16.4 million PS5 units as of December last year, which fell short of its sales expectations. These financial decisions, according to Sony, were motivated in part by the fact that the PS5 console is now further along in its lifecycle. The trouble for gamers
When is the PS5 lifecycle ending?
The PlayStation 5 lifecycle is set to run until 2028 or 2029 according to the latest statements by Sony Senior Vice President Naomi Matsuoka. Those years may not be as big or as enjoyable for gamers as the first four years of PS5, however.
“Looking ahead, PS5 will enter the latter stage of its life cycle…As such, we will put more emphasis on the balance between profitability and sales. For this reason, we expect the annual sales pace of PS5 hardware to start falling from the next fiscal year,” Matsuoka said.
The PS5 was released in November 2020 and has sold 54.7 million units in just over three years. As the console approaches its fourth anniversary this November, Sony is hinting that it may have reached its zenith and is now in the process of preserving that success rather than pushing it to greater heights. This is a relatively quick call by Sony, as the PlayStation 5 console is only in its fourth year of existence, the lifecycle of consoles is generally getting longer, and PS5 units were extremely scarce for a long while.
Sony President, COO and CFO Hikoi Totoki added that the company still plans to produce “high-quality productions and live-service games” and said that there are major projects currently being developed. He clarified however that these major projects do not involve any titles for major existing franchises such as God of War: Ragnarok and Marvel’s Spider-Man in the next fiscal year. More details can be found on Sony’s corporate site.
PlayStation 5 exclusives coming over the next fiscal year
Though Sony doesn’t have any major first-party releases slated for the next fiscal year, 2024 and 2025 still have a number of major exclusives lined up for the PlayStation 5. The list includes:
- Pacific Drive (February 22, 2024)
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (February 29, 2024)
- Rise of the Ronin (March 22, 2024)
- Stellar Blade (April 26, 2024)
- Silent Hill 2 remake (2024)
- Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (2025)
Despite not having any confirmed first-party titles for the next fiscal year, there are confirmed plans for more first-party PlayStation 5 games before the end of its lifecycle. Insomniac Games is confirmed to be working on Marvel’s Wolverine for the PlayStation 5 and leaks related to the game suggested that a PS5 Pro is in the works.