Sony expects PS5 to double PS4’s shipment record this quarter

Sony Interactive Entertainment expects PlayStation 5 to smash its predecessor’s sales record for the first three months of a calendar year.

PS5 shipments reached 12.8 million in the first three quarters of Sony’s current fiscal year [FY2022], meaning the company will need to have sold another 5.2 million consoles during the fourth quarter ending on March 31 to reach its previous annual guidance of 18 million units.

However, Sony is confident enough in supply and demand that on Thursday, it actually increased its annual PS5 forecast by one million units to 19 million.

That means it now expects to ship 6.2 million PS5 consoles during the current quarter, which would be more than double PlayStation 4’s peak for the same window.

The most PS4s Sony has ever shipped during the first three months of a calendar year is three million, which was achieved shortly after the console’s launch, between January and March of 2014 (the fourth quarter of FY2013).

Last month, Sony signalled that PS5’s long battle with supply issues was finally over, and this claim was reflected in the console’s best-ever results for a quarter announced on Thursday, with 7.1 million units shipped in the three months ended December 31, 2022.

That figure represents an 83% increase on the same three-month period last year.

During Sony’s CES showcase in January, SIE president Jim Ryan claimed December was PS5’s biggest sales month yet, and that increased availability means more consumers can now purchase the console following long-running supply issues.

Related

31

PS5 enjoyed its best sales quarter yet, reaching 32 million shipped

Christmas console sales were up by 83% year-on-year, boosted by broad availability in stores

“PS5 supply improved towards the end of last year, and I’m happy to share that December was the biggest month ever for PS5 console sales, and that we’ve now sold more than 30 million units through to consumers worldwide,” he said. “Everyone who wants a PS5 should have a much easier time finding one at retailers globally starting from this point forward.”