Sony's Current Success Can Be Attributed Primarily to Astro Bot, Explains the Reason Behind Its Fine Performance
If publishers paid less attention to the excessive hype, inflated expectations, and exorbitant pricing, they'd see that good games can still generate profits. Sony managed to sell fewer PS5 consoles than the previous year around the time of the anticipated PlayStation 5 Elite console's launch. It's plausible that this was anticipated. Although we're yet to learn about sales figures for Sony's initial $700 ($780, including the frequently required disk drive) release in a couple of months, Sony is still declaring this gaming season a success, all thanks to a cheerful robot named Astro Bot.
Not merely Astro Bot, though the Mario-style platformer had sold 1.5 million copies just two months post-launch, according to Sony, as mentioned in its second-quarter financial report. Similar to this, Sony pointed towards Black Myth Wukong as a significant revenue generator for this season. It somehow covered for the disappointing performance of the unfortunate hero shooter, Concord. Last month, Sony inconspicuously retired the game, disbanding the studio responsible for its creation.
Sony also disclosed its console sales figures, with an unimpressive performance for the PS5. The Japanese tech giant reportedly sold around 3.8 million PS5 units, decreasing by 1 million from the same three-month period in 2023. This can be expected, as players were eager for news related to the newly introduced PlayStation 5 Elite console. At present, Sony claims to have sold 65 million PS5s, including both original and slim models.
In this quarter, Sony, manufacturing smartphones, TVs, and cameras, earned 2.97 trillion yen, or $19.4 billion, aligning with predictions. Remarkably, the company's core strength lies in its games business. The company highlighted PlayStation and related services as surging by 12% from the previous year.
During an investor conference, Sadahiko Hayakawa, Sony's finance general manager, stated that they aim to sell 18 million PS5s by year's end, falling short of the 22 million sold in 2023. Hayakawa mentioned that for the second half of the 4-year-old console's generation, they anticipate PS5 unit sales to gradually decrease.
Hayakawa also cited Helldivers 2 as one of its successful ventures that surpassed expectations. However, he affirmed that the business strategy has shifted since the PlayStation 3 era, and they no longer prioritize software sales as much. The main concern now is retaining an active user base on the platform, with players regularly investing in microtransactions and other premium content.
This strategy overlooks the reason behind the success of first-party games like Helldivers 2 and Astro Bot. Helldivers' studio Arrowhead has been regularly introducing additional content, while Team Asobi, the creators of Astro Bot, plan to release future updates. The content supplements the existing robust framework.
And it's worth noting that Concord attempted to replicate the success of established hero shooters like Valorant and Overwatch 2, hoping to find a niche in a trend past its prime. Multiplayer games remain a favorite at Sony, just like with other publishers. It's simpler to exploit a player base when they invest hundreds of hours into online multiplayer games. However, Sony's financial reports demonstrate that games with strong sales can bolster the entire brand. Perhaps the former business model—developing and selling games—was more effective than the current "gambling-like" approach in the modern gaming market.
In the future, Sony might leverage technology and 'tech' innovations to enhance the user experience in their games, following the success of updates for games like Astro Bot and Helldivers 2. The anticipated decline in PS5 unit sales for the second half of its generation might push companies to reconsider their focus on software sales, instead prioritizing a robust, engaging user base and regular content updates.
