PS5’s launch is already completely sold out in Japan, Sony claims

Japan has completely sold out of launch PlayStation 5 units, following strong pre-order performance for the next-gen console.

That’s according to Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan, who said on Thursday that there would be no further consoles available to purchase on launch day in the country.

“Due to the high interest and many orders from users, the launch is sold out by the reserved amount,” the company said.

“While there are still concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, we do not plan to hold events or sell PS5 at stores on the day of PS5 release in order to ensure the safety of customers, retailers, and staff,” it added.

SIEJ went on to apologise for the inconvenience caused and encouraged PS5 pre-order customers to check with their retailers regarding how they will receive their console.

In an interview published last month, PlayStation boss Ryan claimed that PS5 pre-order demand had been “very considerable”. Sony took as many PS5 pre-orders in the first 12 hours in the United States as it did in the first 12 weeks for PS4, he claimed.

Sony has been bullish about PlayStation 5’s short-term sales outlook, with the firm recently stating that it expects the console to launch “in great shape”.

Echoing recent comments from Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan, Sony’s CFO Hiroki Totoki said last month that the company expects to sell over 7.6 million PS5 units by the end of its fiscal year on March 31, 2021, outperforming PS4’s launch.

Given this forecast, Totoki was asked during a Q&A session whether it’s possible PS5 sales might exceed the 100 million units PS4 achieved.

PS4 has actually shipped over 113.5 million units as of September 30, 2020, according to Sony, and Totoki said the company is aiming to surpass the current-gen console’s lifetime total.

“Yes, it is a challenge,” he said, “but we are very eager and committed to succeed and surpass the aggregated unit sales of PS4.”

Further reading

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The first PS5 unboxing videos have been published

US media received the next-gen console last week