PlayStation fans are in for a gloomy year after Sony dashed hopes of a PS5 discount and warned of a lack of major franchises until well into 2025.
With the console now in its fourth year, you would reckon it was due a juicy price cut. Even Sony has admitted that the PS5 is well and truly getting on, but it is still not offering a markdown.
In a call with investors, the company’s top brass said the PS5 is “entering the latter half of the console cycle”. Despite its old age, they claimed the high cost of parts meant a “steep discount” was off the table.
That’s bad news for shoppers who missed last year’s Black Friday deals on the bestselling console. Major retailers are currently selling the two editions of the PS5 Slim, which landed late last year, for £480 and £390 respectively – the same as the original’s launch price.
Even worse for PS5 owners, Sony’s gaming well appears to be running dry. The company has no plans to release major franchises until March 2025, execs said. Like Hollywood, the gaming industry runs on a steady stream of blockbuster sequels and spinoffs.
In Sony’s case, its homegrown franchises include God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us. Of course, the imminent Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is sure to be a monstrous hit, but that’s not being counted as it comes from an external developer, namely Square Enix.
Thankfully, there are plenty of other games from studios that aren’t owned by Sony coming to PS5, so don’t get too disheartened. While all those titles that Xbox is rumoured to be exporting to PS5 should also make up for the lack of franchises.
Speaking of which, Sony sounds as if it too is keen on bringing its in-house exclusives to more platforms. With execs predicting a dip in console sales, get ready to see more PS5 games on PC as Sony seeks more ways to juice up profits.
Initially, the main purpose of so-called first-party games “was to make the console popular”, Sony President Hiroki Titoki said.
“But there is a synergy to it. So if you have strong first party content, not only with our console but also other platforms like computers, first-party … can help operating profit to improve.”
Sony’s comments came days after it released sci-fi shooter Helldivers 2 on PS5 and PC simultaneously. The game quickly became its biggest hit to date on the digital storefront Steam.
Sony also lowered its PS5 sales forecast from 25 million consoles to 21 million for its 2023 fiscal year ending March 31. The system reached a milestone of 50 million in total sales last December.
Sony has been releasing additional products that play nicely with its console, including a £200 handheld called the PlayStation Portal, a PS VR2 headset, and a couple of wireless headphones.
