In 2020, the company was able to sell 4.5 million PlayStation 5 game consoles. Moreover, the release of the console took place only in November – in some regions on the 12th, and around the world – on the 19th. As a result, in just a month and a half, Sony sold a really large number of consoles, and this despite the shortage. That is, the potential for sales was even greater. Against the backdrop of the release of a new generation, in the fourth quarter of 2020, demand for the PlayStation 4 fell by 77% – a total of 1.4 million units of the previous generation consoles were sold.

The company’s gaming business showed much better results compared to 2019 – Sony was able to increase revenue by 40%, earning $ 8.4 billion. This is also partly due to the release of the new console. Operating income jumped 50% to $ 763.3 million thanks to strong game sales, PlayStation Plus subscriptions, and better margins with PlayStation 4. However, the company notes that the costs associated with the launch of the PlayStation 5 are still not offset by sales revenue. because the console is selling for less than the cost.

Nevertheless, in terms of sales at the start of the PlayStation 5, it is comparable to the PlayStation 4 – in 2013, in the fourth quarter after the release of the PS4, Sony sold an equal number of consoles – about 4.5 million. As of December 31, 2019, 109 million PlayStations were sold. 4.

We add that last week Microsoft shared information on earnings, but the number of Xbox Series X and S sold was not announced.