Sony expects PS5 sales to start to decline, ‘no major franchise titles’ next fiscal year

iOS 18 could be the company's biggest update the iPhone has ever recovered, considering the number of front-facing features it will bring. We have previously reported that Apple is planning to incorporate a plethora of AI features in the platform, which will be available to all users later this year. It is now being reported that iOS 18 could also undergo a redesign in terms of visuals. This will make iOS 18 a bigger upgrade than originally expected with AI features.

Sony recently announced that the PS5 has sold 54.8 million units worldwide, and while that’s quite an impressive number for a console that’s only just entered the fourth year of its lifecycle, it has missed the company’s internal sales target by quite a bit. Sony has, as such, revised its forecast for total PS5 units shipped during FY 2023/24 (which ends on March 31) from 25 million down to 21 million, and the company is now feeling the immediate repercussions of that.

You may not be fully satisfied with how PlayStation is running its business right now, but Sony’s bringing home the big bucks all the same. The firm’s gaming division is printing cash, as it shipped a sturdy 8.2 million PS5 units throughout the three-month period ending 31st December, 2023. That’s an increase of 1.1 million year-over-year, and it puts the PS5’s lifetime sales at 54.8 million units to date.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has now comfortably surpassed 10 million units sold, accurate as of 4th February, 2024. It took the original game a little under a year to topple 13.2 million units, so this is clearly an exceptional result for the sequel. It’s also worth noting that as around 55 million PS5 consoles have been sold, approximately one-in-five bought Peter Parker and Miles Morales’ latest.

Sony will not release any sequels or updates to “major existing franchise titles” before March 2025. The wording is exceptionally important here: this does not eliminate the likelihood of PS5 exclusives entirely, it just means you’re unlikely to see a new Ghost of Tsushima or The Last of Us in the next 12 months and a bit.

As reported earlier today, Sony shipped 8.2 million PS5 consoles during the three-month period ending 31st December, 2023 – a very good number which contributed to record-breaking revenue, but not enough to help it reach its forecast of 25 million units for the current financial year. Thus far, it’s sold 16.4 million units, and subsequently it’s revised its forecast down to 21 million.

Sony's stock lost $10 billion in value last week after the tech giant lowered its forecast for this year's predicted PlayStation 5 sales. 

It's been a while since we heard any new rumor about Fable, the reboot of the fantasy franchise in development at Playground Games.

The release of the next Nintendo console, provisionally called the Switch 2, could slip into 2025, according to a new report citing several industry sources. The claim runs contrary to a number of recent rumors indicating that Nintendo is targeting a 2024 release for the Switch follow-up.

Nearly ten years after the collection began, Nintendo has finally released the final character in the Super Smash Bros. Amiibo roster.

Despite total shipments topping 54.8 million since its launch in November 2020, the PlayStation 5 isn’t due for a big price cut anytime soon. Sony Interactive Entertainment president Hiroki Totoki said during an investor call (reported by IGN) that it was due to difficulties shrinking the PS5’s die size.

Japan's Sony slashed the full-year sales forecast for its PlayStation 5 console on Wednesday and said it plans to list its financial business next year as it focuses on entertainment and image sensors.