PlayStation 4 Records 91 Million Games Sold Since Pandemic Began

During the three-month period leading up to June 30, 2020, (or when the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down) Sony reported that 91 million PlayStation 4 games were sold. That translates to an 83 percent sales increase covering the same period in 2019.

Last year, sales of PS4 games were at a respectable 49.8 million. First-party exclusives, specifically “The Last of Us Part II” from Naughty Dog, sold 18.5 million copies. Engadget notes that, compared to the same period in 2019, the sales of first-party titles were then at 11.7 million.

With most PlayStation 4 owners forced to stay at home, an amazing 74 percent of games were bought digitally in the last quarter.

Meanwhile, their subscription service PlayStation Plus, which is required to play PS4 games online, also saw record numbers. From 41.5 million members at the end of last quarter, the membership now stands at 44.9 million.

Even as digital has risen, however, hard copies of PlayStation 4 games have suffered in sales. Sony sold 1.9 million PS4 consoles during the three-month period, which is up from the previous quarter (1.4 million) but down 41 percent in the same quarter last year (3.2 million).

The PlayStation 4 will soon have more competition internally as the next-gen PlayStation 5 is slated to make its debut during the holiday season.

"Although factors such as constraints due to employees working from home and restrictions on international travel remain, necessary measures are being taken and preparations are underway with the launch of the console scheduled for the 2020 holiday season," Sony told investors in its earnings report today.

Gaming was a very bright spot for Sony this quarter, raking in sales of 606 billion yen which translates to roughly $5.7 billion. Last year, the sales numbers were at 457 billion yen or $4.3 billion. Unfortunately for Sony, almost every other part of its business, including TVs, smartphones, cameras, and movies saw a year-over-year decline.

The quarter wasn't completely abysmal for Sony though. Engadget notes that the company's overall sales were 1.97 trillion yen or roughly $18.6 billion for the quarter. That is up from 1.92 trillion yen (roughly $18.1 billion) last year.

Operating income, however, was 228 billion yen (roughly $2.15 billion), down from 230 billion yen or approximately $2.18 billion during the same quarter last year.