The total lifetime sales for Sony’s PS5 has now reached 75 million units, with the 2024 holiday period speeding this growth. The figure was reported in Sony’s latest financials, which noted a significant period of success, despite overall downturn in the global economy and games market.
As reported, the three-month period ending 31 December 2024 was fruitful for Sony. Thanks to the launch of the PS5 Pro, which is rolled into the stats for PS5 units sold, a grand total of 9.5 million PS5 consoles were sold in the quarter – a significant peak.
While the console is still tracking slightly behind the PS4 for year-to-year sales, it’s now very close, with both consoles relatively on-par. Given the multitude of factors working against the PS5 – early launch shortages, global downturn, the growth of the PC market – it’s an impressive statistic. Despite changes in the market, Sony is helping to prove that consoles (and console-exclusive games) still have an essential place in the games market.
Elsewhere in its latest financial results, Sony noted a significant year-on-year increase for its Game & Network Services division, with a range of first and third-party games contributing to this rise. Via GamesIndustry.biz, Astro Bot and Helldivers 2 were called out for their success, particularly their recent award wins.
Read: The Game Awards 2024: Full list of winners
“The fact that titles in genres we are aiming to expand in the future, including titles for families and live service games, have received [accolades] is a major stride toward our building a broader title portfolio,” Sony said.
Looking ahead, Sony expects their games division to grow, with titles including Ghost of Yōtei and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach expected to contribute to a “further expansion of earnings” in future.
Network services revenue is also a major contributor to this positivity, with this segment rising 29% year-on-year. Sony put this down to price revisions and a “shift to higher tiers of service,” but it’s fair to say this rise could also be linked to the popularity of Helldivers 2, which requires a PlayStation Plus subscription.
As a result of this growth across the board, Sony has revised its financial forecast upward for the next quarter. Whether it can maintain this momentum into the new year remains to be seen – but for now, it does appear Sony is well-positioned to kick off 2025.
