On the occasion of the publication of its annual financial results, Sony revealed the latest sales figures for its latest console, the PlayStation 5. Marketed in mid-November, the imposing machine with a futuristic design sold 7.8 million copies worldwide, including 3.3 million between January and March 2021 alone.
The PS5 is thus better than its big sister the PS4, which had sold 7.5 million copies during its first five months of marketing.
In the United States, the next-gen console is also breaking all sales records, with scores never achieved for a new machine.
To read also: Jim Ryan, Sony: "Launching the PlayStation 5 in 2020 was a real challenge"
These data are enough to cringe in Europe, so getting your hands on a PlayStation 5 is a challenge.
The stores are replenished in droplets, and copies dedicated to customers who have reserved their copy for weeks or even months.
Freshly uploaded inventory on e-commerce sites sells out in a matter of minutes.
A console sold at a high price
And during this time, speculation is organized. On Le Bon Coin, we find thousands of PlayStation 5 resale announcements this Wednesday morning, at prices ranging between 500 and 1000 euros. The situation is similar on eBay or Facebook Marketplace. On Amazon, the sellers of the marketplace offer the machine for 1000 euros, which is double its normal price.
This situation seems paradoxical in view of the volumes produced by Sony factories.
The Japanese group explains that consumer demand is much higher than it was when the PS4 was released in 2013. But, on the distribution side, it is estimated that Sony has favored the very strategic American market to the detriment of Europe.
The situation is not much better in Japan, where stores are holding raffles to sell their scarce stocks of PS5s.
PS5 drives Sony's bottom line
The video game is once again the activity of Sony which drains the most profits and turnover for the Japanese group, according to the results of the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2021.
The turnover of the “gaming” branch jumped 30% in one year, to 22 billion euros, thanks to the launch of the PS5.
Sony has confirmed that the machine, marketed for 500 euros, was sold at a loss.
But despite this weight handicap, the profits of the branch are at their highest (2.6 billion euros, + 40%).
The explanation is simple: Sony charges 30% on all transactions made on its PlayStation Store.
More than 10 billion euros thus entered its coffers in 2020, to which are added 3 billion euros in revenue for online subscriptions (PlayStation Plus, PlayStation Now).
Sales of physical games have brought in one billion euros.
