Nintendo is one of the “big three” companies in the game industry, trailing behind both Sony and Microsoft. The question on everyone’s lips might be: how far are they trailing behind? Well, the answer is: pretty damn far.
Today, the keen-eyed gaming analyst ZhugeEX noted on Twitter that Sony’s PlayStation network makes more revenue than all of Nintendo’s businesses and ventures combined. Yes, the company that saved the video game industry when everyone thought it was dead makes less money than Sony’s online store for the PlayStation.
Here’s what he observed:
Sony's PlayStation Network sales hit 529,000m yen which means that PSN generated more revenue than the whole of Nintendo (504,000m yen).
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) April 28, 2016
To elaborate, Sony’s PlayStation Network earned more than 529.1bn yen in sales during the 2015-2016 fiscal year, which ended 31st March 2016. In this same period of time, Nintendo garnered 504.4bn in sales—around 25 billion yen less than Sony’s PSN.
Sony’s PlayStation 4 has sold over 40 million units over its lifespan and Sony has plans to keep the system alive with an upgraded system later this year. The product has yet to be officially announced and is expected to make an appearance at this year’s E3. It is dubbed the PlayStation NEO.
Either way, Sony earns a cut from the sale of every item listed on PlayStation Network as well as PlayStation Plus subscriptions. In contrast, Nintendo’s online service does not require a subscription.
Nintendo already has plans to phase out its existing Wii U console to launch a new system presently called the Nintendo NX, which has been dated for release early next year.
Header image credit: IgorGosling @ DeviantArt
