Entertainment
PS5 is the fastest-selling console ever in the US
Even though it’s still not easy to get hold of one, the PS5 has managed to break sales records within only five months of its launch.
Between the restructuring at its Japan Studio, plans to shut down its old digital storefronts, and it turning down a pitch for a Days Gone sequel, Sony has recently faced criticism from not just the public but even some of its own developers.
Despite all this, the PlayStation 5 continues to be a massive success, as it now holds the record of being the fastest-selling console in US history.
This is according to NPD analyst Mat Piscatella and GamesIndustry.biz head Christopher Dring on Twitter, both of whom said the console achieved its feat in terms of both unit and dollar sales (i.e. it made more money and sold more consoles than anything else before it).
US NPD HW – PlayStation 5 is the fastest selling console in U.S. history in both unit and dollar sales (lifetime sales with five months on the market).
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) April 16, 2021
As Dring points out, this is quite the feat considering the PlayStation 5 has only been out for five months and Sony launched it during a global pandemic. Said pandemic had a notable effect on manufacturing and distribution, which is still being felt now as the PlayStation 5 remains difficult to get hold of.
No exact numbers for the PlayStation 5’s sales have been made public, but Piscatella states that gaming hardware dollar sales in March were at an all-time high of $680 million (almost £490 million). However, the Nintendo Switch remains the best-selling console, beating the PlayStation 5 in unit sales.
The PlayStation 5 is an undeniable success for Sony, but the story is slightly different in other countries. Here in the UK, for example, it was outperformed by its rival, the Xbox Series X/S, in January.
And in Japan, it was previously reported that it only sold 240,000 units within its first six weeks, prompting accusations of Sony neglecting the Japanese market.
This has since been followed by the aforementioned restructuring at Japan Studio and a mass exodus of key staff members. Some have argued this is a sign that Sony has deprioritised the Japanese market in general, in favour of the West.
A recent report, which suggested the existence of a PlayStation 5 remake of The Last Of Us, also claimed that Sony is increasingly prioritising blockbuster hits and sidelining its smaller studios.
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