Sony aims to break its own annual console sales record next fiscal year by producing and shipping more than 22.6 million units of the PS5. The 22.6 million unit record was originally set by the PlayStation back in 1998.
Sony CEO Kenichi Yoshida made the statement during a General Meeting of Shareholders conference held on June 22, 2021. However, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan also reportedly revealed the ambitious PS5 sales goal during Sony’s investor relations day back in May. The investor relations conference was also the same one where PlayStation mistakenly used a fan-made God of War Ragnarok logo for its presentation.
Selling over 22.6 million units of the PS5 would also break the PS2’s record of 22 million, PS3’s 14.4 million, and PS4’s 20 million units sold. Sony has admitted the goal is ambitious, and will likely still experience challenges due to global supply chain issues that are limiting supply. News agency Jiji reports that Sony could still take advantage of the “stay-in” sales surge caused by the pandemic.
Yoshida added that, while the PS5 still currently facing a shortage, the company aims to “ramp up production” of the console in the next fiscal year. This comes after reports that the company would release a redesigned PS5 in 2022 that changes the console’s internal components. The primary driver for this change is a global semiconductor shortage which has slowed PS5 production. The redesign would replace the console’s 5nm CPU with a 6nm “semi-customized” AMD CPU.
However, Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki also stated to analysts that, even with an increase in production after 2022, supply is not likely to catch up with demand any time soon. Jim Ryan also stated previously that the company is working “incredibly hard” to alleviate the PS5 bot scalping situation to get the console in the right hands. Sony plans to do so by utilizing its PlayStation Direct service, as well as expanding its distribution services in Europe.
