PlayStation’s First-Party Sales Collapse Paints a Picture of Concern

In a recent data deep dive, it was explained that, between FY2020 and FY2024, PlayStation’s first-party software sales plummeted by 30 million copies. The sales figures peaked around 2020, with the label securing a whopping 58.4 million first-party sales within 12 months.

By FY2024, that figure collapsed, falling to around 29 million, hampered by a poor release slate and massively underperforming games, like Concord. It’s relatively easy to explain some of these numbers, but with PlayStation’s next State of Play arriving later today, folks are wondering what else the titan has in the bank.

PlayStation 5’s First-Party Sales Aren’t Doing So Hot

In a study published by Game File’s Stephen Totilo, the last six years of financial data were collated and represented in a neat graph, showcasing PlayStation’s first-party performance of late.

Here’s a snapshot of the high-level figures:

• FY2018: 54.1 million sales
• FY2019: 49.2 million sales
• FY2020: 58.4 million sales
• FY2021: 43.9 million sales
• FY2022: 43.5 million sales
• FY2023: 39.7 million sales
• FY2024: 28.9 million sales
• FY2025: 32.1 million sales

The sizeable peak secured in FY2020 came courtesy of a few bangers, namely the release of the PS5 console. It also welcomed games such as The Last of Us Part II, Miles Morales, and Ghost of Tsushima, all of which flew off the shelves. Let’s also not forget that it was the fabled year of COVID-19’s global lockdown trend, forcing gamers into their homes with nothing but time on their hands.

The Last of Us Part II, of course, became the gift that kept on giving, with re-releases landing later.

But things remained fairly stable out of the back of that window until 2024 came around.

From FY2020 to FY2024, PlayStation saw a drop of around 50% in first-party game sales, a figure that only recovered slightly last year with the launches of Ghost of Yotei and Death Stranding 2.

Many feel that PlayStation’s push in recent years towards studio acquisitions and live-service titles has been a wasted venture. It’s an initiative that has almost entirely fallen flat, and it has likely cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions.

The latest entry to that discussion point has been the 2022 acquisition of Bungie, which Sony completed for around $3.7 billion. In May, it was revealed in Sony’s latest financials that the Bungie buyout had brought about an impairment loss of around $765 million, and that figure continues to grow as Bungie backslides.

Last month, the team revealed that Destiny 2 would be receiving its final update on June 9th, with the studio focusing instead on Marathon, the dwindling extraction shooter, and the ‘incubation’ of future projects.

That’s why all eyes are now on the PlayStation State of Play showcase, set to drop later today, as I write this. It’s the next big thing on the PlayStation horizon, and the hope is that it’ll yield some juicy gems that the label can rely on to drive sales back up. Sony has gone all-in on this State of Play, hosting theatre streams, promoting it long in advance, and pushing for some serious hype.

Stay tuned to Insider Gaming for the latest on the State of Play as it drops later today, and be sure to join the conversation on the Insider Gaming Discord server.

For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that 1047 Games has revealed the first trailer for EMPULSE