In February, Sony revealed it was selling the PlayStation 5 at a loss — but that’s imminently about to change. The PS5 should hit break-even in June, and become profitable the very same month, according to a presentation the company shared with investors (PDF) during its investor day today.
Needless to say, that’s fast — happening before the company has even managed to catch up with demand, in the midst of a global chip shortage. (We bemoaned the needless drama of buying a PS5 just days ago!)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22542156/breakeven_ps5.jpg)
Mind you, this is for the standard PS5, the one where Sony has to supply a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray drive and pay as much as $8 per console in licensing fees, and charges you an extra $100 at retail. It’s not clear if Sony’s driveless PS5 Digital Edition is more or less profitable.
Profitability isn’t the only intriguing disclosure in Sony’s presentation, though. Buried in the filing is the excellent news that an incredible game is coming to PC — the previously PS4/PS5 exclusive Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, a blockbuster action game that we loved enough to write both spoiler-free and multiple spoiler-iffic reviews.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22542152/pc_uncharted_4.jpg)
Sony had previously promised more PlayStation exclusives would come to PC, and Sony’s presentation makes it clear why the company is interested. See that little “ROI 250%+” note? If I’m reading it correctly, that means the iffy PC port of Horizon: Zero Dawn nonetheless managed to make more than double the money that Sony invested in bringing it to gaming computers.
It makes me wonder, very strongly, about the mysterious circumstances that surrounded Sony’s announcements of Demon’s Souls and Final Fantasy XVI.
Oh, by the way: sure looks like Sony just confirmed that God of War: Ragnarok is the official name of that upcoming game! Could be a mistake or a juxtaposition of two vaguely related logos, though.
Also genuinely surprising to see them maybe just confirm God of War: Ragnarok as the next game’s official title?
After we’ve all spent so long calling it that, makes sense to lean in, I suppose! pic.twitter.com/7YYm6cngZ9
— Jonathon Dornbush (@jmdornbush) May 26, 2021
Correction: Sony’s presentation today came from its Investor Day, not its Corporate Strategy Meeting. The Corporate Strategy Meeting was yesterday.
