Over recent months, there has been a lot of speculation concerning the development of PlayStation 5 and when we might expect the new console to be released. Much of that would depend upon where PlayStation 4 is at in its lifecycle, and now we have some official word on that.
Addressing the matter during the yearly Investor Relations Day, Sony CEO John Kodera reported that we are now in the final stage of the PS4’s lifecycle. This fits with what we’ve heard about units sold, which have been declining. Last year, the company sold 19 million PlayStation 4 units. This year, it projects that it will sell 16 million.
Meanwhile, PS VR is increasing in popularity, but it is yet not living up to the company’s expectations. Nonetheless, Sony is pulling in great revenue from digital downloads including software and PlayStation Plus membership sales. There were 70 million active monthly PlayStation Network users last year. Right now, it is estimated that number has risen to around 80 million.
Sony’s focus at this point is on developing, franchising, and revitalizing first party games. As to PlayStation 5, Kodera didn’t have a whole lot to say on that front. What he did say indicates that despite this being the last phase of the PlayStation 4’s lifecycle, that doesn’t mean we should expect PS5 anytime soon.
“We will use the next three years to prepare the next step, to crouch down so that we can jump higher in the future,” Kodera stated. Assuming this refers to the next three fiscal years, he’s talking about the time period ending March 31st, 2021.
Given all of this, it seems like we shouldn’t hold our breaths for the new console being released anytime in 2019, or even 2020. We probably won’t be seeing the PlayStation 5 until at least 2021. Rest assured however that if there is any news, you’ll hear it here first.