Unfortunately for gamers, the PlayStation 5 will remain in short supply throughout 2022.
According to a recent fiscal call, as reported by VentureBeat, Sony Chief Financial Officer Hiroki Totoki clarified in the meeting that the market demand for the latest PlayStation console is feverish but the available stock remains low. Totoki states that this is largely due to ongoing chip supply shortages plaguing the production of new units. The executive goes on to say that while these metrics indicate that fans will continue to battle to get their hands on a PlayStation 5 as Sony "can’t say exactly for sure what is the demand for [2022]."
In the same call, Sony confirmed that while overall sales of the PlayStation 5 were down in the last quarter, the company still managed to pull in $2.28 billion USD in revenue through hardware. In the same time frame, software sales remained fairly even, earning the publisher $3.77 billion USD.
While Sony may be struggling to generate enough inventory of the PlayStation 5 to satisfy gamers, the company has begun expanding its roster of first-party development studios. The tech giant recently confirmed that it was finalizing a deal to acquire Destiny 2 developer Bungie for a hefty sum of $3.6 billion USD. PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan stated that the deal is "an important step in our strategy to expand the reach of PlayStation to a much wider audience." Bungie will continue to operate as an "independent subsidiary" governed by current CEO Pete Parsons and will not be restricted to developing games exclusively for the PlayStation ecosystem.
"We understand how vital Bungie's community is to the studio and look forward to supporting them as they remain independent and continue to grow," continued Ryan. "Like Bungie, our community is core to PlayStation's DNA, and our shared passion for the gamer and building the best place to play will now evolve even further."
Despite launching in late 2020, the PlayStation 5 remains notoriously difficult to purchase. Sony has implemented several methods to ensure the devices reach the hands of consumers but the marketplace has been plagued by scalpers looking to buy the PS5 in bulk and resell it for a significant mark-up.
While hardware revenue has fallen for Sony over the last year, the company is seemingly looking at new ways to embed players into its gaming ecosystem. PlayStation is reportedly developing its own form of Microsoft's popular subscription service Xbox Game Pass. Details on this project remain vague but industry insiders suggest it will offer players a collection of both classic and modern games for a monthly fee.
Source: VentureBeat