In 2025, PlayStation's PC and mobile games will account for nearly half of all new games.
HIGHLIGHTS
1. The PlayStation 5 will be available in November 2020.
2. During the pandemic, PlayStation games grew in popularity.
3. The PS5 is expected to sell 18 million copies this fiscal year, according to Sony.
Sony announced that when supply chain snarls clear, it aims to scale up manufacturing of its PlayStation 5 platform, as well as a radical expansion of its game catalogue, which will include more PC and mobile titles.
Due to component shortages that have roiled the electronics industry, the PS5, which went on sale in November 2020, undersold its predecessor in its second year. However, in year three, it is predicted to bridge the deficit and eclipse the PS4's installed base the following year.
Beyond the initial ramp-up, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan said at an investor event, "we're preparing for major further increases in console production, leading us to production levels that we've never attained before."
"Things are clearly better," Ryan remarked, despite the fact that COVID-19 lockdowns in China continue to cause supply chain concern.
Sony expects PS5 sales to reach 18 million units in the fiscal year ending in March, up from 11.5 million a year ago.
Ryan outlined a transition by PlayStation away from focusing solely on single-player games unique to its platform, stating that more PC and mobile titles, as well as live service games that allow continual updated play, will be available.
While PS4 and PS5 games are predicted to account for more than two-thirds of this year's releases, PC and mobile games will account for nearly half of all new games by 2025.
"Our efforts to extend our audience... will have a significant impact on the shape of our game portfolio," Ryan explained.
With the adjustment, PlayStation hopes to keep up with industry changes such as cloud computing and the growing computational power of smartphones, which have freed consumers from bulky gear and boosted the amount of money spent on free-to-play online games.
While there has been significant speculation that the metaverse, or the idea that users will spend more time in simulated worlds, may disrupt industry business structures, Ryan believes that many customers will continue to play games as they have in the past.
"Many, many individual players will opt to enjoy games in the manner in which they have done so for the past 30 years or more," Ryan said.
