Sony reached an important milestone today: the company sold over 20 million PlayStation 5 worldwide. A year and a half after its release on the global market and despite frequent supply shortages, the console finally crossed this threshold.
The PlayStation 5 hits this milestone of 20 million units sold after 568 days on the market. Its predecessor, the PlayStation 4, reached this number faster, in only 471 days. In a recent report, Sony declared that it only took 82 minutes to sell 80,000 PlayStation 5, while it took 9 days to do the same with PlayStation 4.
The global chip shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the production of PlayStation 5. Sony even had to cut down on sales, because the company couldn’t keep up with the demand. The shortages are slowly fading away, allowing for more players to get their hands on a PlayStation 5. However, according to Sony’s projections, the sales of PlayStation 5 could surpass the PlayStation 4 only after April 2023.
Veronica Rogers, SVP, Head of Global Sales and Business Operations at Sony Interactive Entertainment, announced that the company is “planning on a significant ramp-up in PS5 production this year.” Sony is “working endlessly to make sure that PlayStation 5 is available for everyone who wants one.”
Yesterday, Sony revealed more information about the upcoming games coming to PlayStation 5 later this year and in 2023 during its State of Play. Some of the most popular games showcased in this event include Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy XVI, and Resident Evil 4 Remake. These highly-anticipated games and the ramped-up production should allow for more players to get their hands on PlayStation 5 consoles throughout the year.