Immediately after the launch of the PlayStation 5 Pro, Sony announced that it had sold 65.5 million PlayStation 5s as of the end of the second quarter of 2024. Although sales of the console fell by 1.1 million units compared to the same period last year (and by a total of 2 million units in 2024), this was more than offset by game sales, which totaled 77.7 million units, up 14.9 percent from the second quarter of 2023. The monthly number of active users of Sony’s PlayStation Network remained at 116 million, despite a significant price jump at the end of last year.
The net result?
Revenue grew by 9 percent and operating profit increased by a stellar 73 percent to 445.1 billion yen ($2.91 billion). Given these gains, as well as the fact that the company has a new, more expensive (and likely more profitable) console ready for Christmas, Sony was optimistic about the rest of the year, raising its profit forecast slightly.
A big part of Sony’s game sales story is the success of the action RPG Black Myth: Wukong, which reportedly sold 20 million units in the second quarter (including the PC version). Another strong performance was the first batch of Astro Bot, demonstrating the power of hits to drive sales.
Sony has two more quarters left in the fiscal year ending March 31. Until then, Assassin’s Creed Shadow and Monster Hunter Wilds are expected to premiere, both scheduled for February 2025. However, Sony’s fiscal year 2025, which begins in April, could be a blockbuster with highly anticipated games such as Ghost of Yotei, Death Stranding 2, DOOM: The Dark Ages, and Grand Theft Auto VI, all due out late next year.
