PlayStation 4 sales figures for fiscal year 2017 have just been released by Sony, and they show a decline. The year before, 20 million PS4 consoles sold, but in 2017, only 19 million sold. While this is not a huge drop, a steeper decline is expected for 2018, with Sony projecting 16 million PS4 units to sell within the current fiscal year.
None of this spells doom for Sony, however, nor is the decline in PS4 sales unexpected. We are moving toward the tail end of the console’s life cycle, with the PS5 already under development.
Furthermore, Sony’s actual profits have been excellent and are forecasted to remain strong. Year over year, PlayStation revenue went up 17.8% for a profit of $1.62 billion. The decrease in console sales was more than made up for by the increase in software and subscription sales. Those sales are expected to continue to increase over the course of the current fiscal year, leading to a projected 7% increase in overall profit.
All of this is good news, because it means that PlayStation continues to be a strong performer for Sony, providing them with plenty of cash flow and motivation to invest into the console’s future. With the company’s software and subscription sales doing so well, they can focus on developing a great next gen console. Keep checking back with us for updates on both the PS4 and the PS5.