4.5 million PlayStation 5 consoles were sold in 2020

Sony has recently published its Q3 fiscal year result, revealing its best quarter in history for the gaming business. 

Sony sold 4.5 million PlayStation 5 (PS5) units worldwide in 2020, matching Playstation 4 (PS4) sales during its 2013 launch quarter. In Q3 2020, Sony shipped 1.4 million PS4 units, decreasing 77% from the previous year. 

Combined with sales of 4.5 million PS5 consoles since its rollout in November 2020, Sony's gaming division had its best fiscal quarter ever with $8.4 billion (883.2 billion yen) in revenue, increasing 40% over 2019, according to the company's announcement. 

Sony sold 4.5 million PlayStation 5 (PS5) units worldwide in 2020

Operating profit also grew 50% to $763 million (80.2 billion yen), due to increased game sales, better margins on PS4 hardware, and higher PlayStation Plus subscriptions.

While the PlayStation 5 got off a running start, the company noted that it’s losing money on all PS5s sold. This is because the price points for PS5 hardware itself were less than manufacturing costs. The expenses related to the launch also cut into some of its potential profit gains. 

Overall, Sony had a very good quarter

Sony Electronics also fared well in the company's Q3 fiscal. Though the revenue down a bit, operating income up 25.4% to $1 billion (105.8 billion yen). However, mobile and camera sales of the Japanese company were down over the previous year, continuing a trend with the mobile and camera industries in general.

Q3 2020 - A goof fiscal quarter of Sony

Anyway, Sony has a good fiscal quarter overall with profitability across all segments. Its sales and operating income increased 9.5% and 20%, respectively, in which, gaming led the charge. 

See also: What is Good Internet Speed for Gaming?

Sources:

theverge.com/2021/2/3/22263821/sony-earnings-q3-2020-ps5-launch-sales

engadget.com/sony-4-5-million-playstation5-console-sales-q4-2020-084453123.html