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[Mibu no ookami]

Well, selling less consoles for sure guaranteed less software sales… I think is pretty clear that you’re the myopic here .

By your logic Sony should just be giving PS5s away for free. Obviously Sony has data and metrics they're looking for and also knows the audience they're trying to sell to and what games they play. Most people on PS4 today are playing F2P games. They're not buying new release AAA games.

The are doing fine. I think they can do better with a modest price cut in Japan. How about just keep the current 7,000 yen price cut permanent. Would that be so bad? What if that 7,000 yen price cut could offer you a guaranteed 15K units sales average, instead of 10K?

To what end? You're now selling 15K units a month at 7,000 yen less. That's 105 million in losses or 711K dollars in losses per week or 37 million dollars only to sell an additional 260K units to people who aren't doing anything other than playing genshin impact. What does that 260K players give you exactly? People who likely would have bought the PS5 next year anyways....

 

[LordOcidax]

Monster Hunter impact on hardware sales

Monster Hunter Rise - Switch
Week before launch - 89,104
Week 1 - 267,497 +200%
Week 2 - 135,076 -49%
Week 3 - 96,259 -29%

Monster Hunter World - PS4
Week before launch - 52,507
Week 1 - 140,432 +170%
Week 2 - 109,286 -22%
Week 3 - 70,172 -36%

Monster Hunter Wilds - PS5
Week before launch - 13,556
Week 1 - 108,978 +730%
Week 2 - 52,520 -52%

 

[leo-j]

is sony cared, they would have dropped ps5's price and kept it, with a MHWilds bundle.... it's way too expensive over there, I think almost triple the price of a switch? $550, should be $450, with mhwilds....

 

[Kerotan]

I said it last week and I'll say it again.

NOTHING and I mean NOTHING can compete with PS5 in Japan. Top dog once again.

 

[mckmas8808]

To what end? You're now selling 15K units a month at 7,000 yen less. That's 105 million in losses or 711K dollars in losses per week or 37 million dollars only to sell an additional 260K units to people who aren't doing anything other than playing genshin impact. What does that 260K players give you exactly? People who likely would have bought the PS5 next year anyways....

This is what I fundamentally disagree with, with you on this topic. Those people will buy games, subscriptions, accessories, etc.

 

[Mozza]

Sony is thinking about countries that care about home consoles and growing markets like China....Japan is not any of these 2.

I thought the PS5 sales were slowing down a little in the west, and it was tracking behing the PS4. The PS5 Pro is also tracking behind the PS4 Pro as well. It does seem a long time since you could not get a PS5 easily from anyone but a scalper. And people were suggesting Sony could have sold as many units as they could produce.

 

[Mozza]

I said it last week and I'll say it again.

NOTHING and I mean NOTHING can compete with PS5 in Japan. Top dog once again.

Not sure if you are being serious here........ Yes the PS5 is selling more consoles than a eight year old console.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

This is what I fundamentally disagree with, with you on this topic. Those people will buy games, subscriptions, accessories, etc.

Like I said, you're talking about people who largely own PS4s and are playing F2P games. Look at the top download games for Japan that are PS4 games. They already subscribe to PS+. The margins on the accessories won't offset the lost money you're suggesting here and it's not like PS4 accessories don't sell in Japan as well.

You fundamentally disagree because you're stuck in your way of thinking and refuse to do the math on this.

Do you think Sony doesn't know they'd sell more units if they drop the prices? They discounted prices for the monster hunter wilds bundle for a reason. You don't think they couldn't just put out more MHW bundles? They sold out.

They have the exact data on who these consumers are and how much they spend, yet you think you somehow know more?

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

I thought the PS5 sales were slowing down a little in the west, and it was tracking behing the PS4. The PS5 Pro is also tracking behind the PS4 Pro as well. It does seem a long time since you could not get a PS5 easily from anyone but a scalper. And people were suggesting Sony could have sold as many units as they could produce.

Actually after those 9.5M consoles shipped sony got closer to the PS4's overall sales. Nothing is slowing down. This gen is also going to be longer than the last which was cut short by a pandemic. There's the biggest game of the gen which will virtually be exclusive to the PS5 later this year and will be rleased just when PS5 is surpassing PS3's overall sales. By then the PS5 will still have like 3 years before the PS6 is released.
I think in a year from now PS5 will be above PS4's sales launch aligned, specially if they announce a price cut. We will know more about Sony's projections in April or May for next year though.

 

[John Wick]

Disaster sales for Monster Hunter Wilds in Japan for PS5
It's currently down 871k units behind World on PS4.

Oh no not another pulicat doomed hottake. Capcom and Sony better pack it up. How do you know it's down 871K?

 

[Mozza]

Funny how Sony used to say sold rather than shipped.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Funny how Sony used to say sold rather than shipped.

huh? their quarter reports ALWAYS mention shipped units...not sold through.

They did release PR statements when PS5 reached some milestones like 10M, 20M...maybe even 30M but that's it...they stopped because there's no reasons for that. Their competition has been left in the dust now lmao.

Let's not move the goal post like this come on now...

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Next week DQ3 HD-2D will reach the 1M copies sold milestone on NSW.

Famitsu Sales: 3/3/25 - 3/9/25 has been updated with software sales rankings 11 to 30.

Software Sales (followed by lifetime sales)

1. [PS5] Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom, 02/28/25) – 101,058 (702,237)
2. [NSW] Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars (Konami, 03/06/25) – 38,884 (New)
3. [PS5] Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars (Konami, 03/06/25) – 10,482 (New)
4. [NSW] Super Mario Party Jamboree (Nintendo, 10/17/24) – 9,969 (1,219,776)
5. [NSW] Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (Nintendo, 01/16/25) – 8,531 (225,112)
6. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo, 04/28/17) – 8,249 (6,277,413)
7. [NSW] Minecraft (Microsoft, 06/21/18) – 6,347 (3,827,112)
8. [NSW] Pokemon Scarlet / Pokemon Violet (The Pokemon Company, 11/18/22) – 4,266 (5,533,679)
9. [NSW] Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo, 03/20/20) – 4,256 (8,085,422)
10. [NSW] Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection (Konami, 02/27/25) – 3,648 (53,510)
11. [NSW] Nintendo Switch Sports (Nintendo, 04/29/22) – 3,268 (1,557,292)
12. [NSW] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo, 12/07/18) – 3,229 (5,729,701)
13. [NSW] Ever 17 / Never 7 Double Pack (MAGES., 03/06/25) – 3,041 (New)
14. [PS5] Split Fiction (Electronic Arts, 03/06/25) – 2,946 (New)
15. [PS5] Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (SEGA, 02/21/25) – 2,893 (80,501)
16. [PS4] Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (SEGA, 02/21/25) – 2,615 (47,102)
17. [NSW] Ring Fit Adventure (Nintendo, 10/18/19) – 2,496 (3,703,100)
18. [NSW] Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo, 10/20/23) – 2,421 (1,997,522)
19. [NSW] Splatoon 3 (Nintendo, 09/09/22) – 2,221 (4,427,831)
20. [NSW] Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak Set Best Price (Capcom, 11/16/23) – 2,024 (72,326)
21. [NSW] Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics (Nintendo, 06/05/20) – 1,984 (1,387,870)
22. [NSW] Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Nintendo, 03/25/22) – 1,908 (1,189,232)
23. [NSW] Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Nintendo, 10/31/19) – 1,802 (1,088,320)
24. [NSW] Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo, 10/27/17) – 1,727 (2,555,943)
25. [NSW] Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 Special Price (SEGA, 11/17/22) – 1,646 (244,825)
26. [NSW] Pikmin 4 (Nintendo, 07/21/23) – 1,562 (1,303,244)
27. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo, 03/03/17) – 1,548 (2,373,019)
28. [PS5] Sniper Elite: Resistance (Game Source Entertainment, 03/06/25) – 1,456 (New)
29. [NSW] Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake (Square Enix, 11/14/24) – 1,429 (999,845)
30. [NSW] Wizardry: The Five Ordeals (G*Spark Publishing, 02/27/25) – 1,413 (12,712)

Famitsu Sales: 3/3/25 – 3/9/25 [Update]

Famitsu has published its estimated physical game software data for Japan for the week of March 3, 2025 to March 9, 2025.

www.gematsu.com

 

[Danjin44]

[PS5] Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom, 02/28/25) – 101,058 (702,237)

 

[Kerotan]

Not sure if you are being serious here........ Yes the PS5 is selling more consoles than a eight year old console.

Of course I'm being serious. Imagine a 5 year old beating an 8 year old in a football match. It's truly impressive how strong the ps5 is especially in handheld land.

 

[Scrawnton]

Of course I'm being serious. Imagine a 5 year old beating an 8 year old in a football match. It's truly impressive how strong the ps5 is especially in handheld land.

So you're not being serious?

 

[mckmas8808]

Like I said, you're talking about people who largely own PS4s and are playing F2P games. Look at the top download games for Japan that are PS4 games. They already subscribe to PS+. The margins on the accessories won't offset the lost money you're suggesting here and it's not like PS4 accessories don't sell in Japan as well.

You fundamentally disagree because you're stuck in your way of thinking and refuse to do the math on this.

Do you think Sony doesn't know they'd sell more units if they drop the prices? They discounted prices for the monster hunter wilds bundle for a reason. You don't think they couldn't just put out more MHW bundles? They sold out.

They have the exact data on who these consumers are and how much they spend, yet you think you somehow know more?

No, I know they have the data and they know more than me. But...............I guess it comes down to me not trusting Sony at the moment with their thoughts on what Japanese gamers mean to them. I think they are taking them for granted. Maybe you'll be right and Sony will be proven right on this long term...............but at the moment I don't like it.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

No, I know they have the data and they know more than me. But...............I guess it comes down to me not trusting Sony at the moment with their thoughts on what Japanese gamers mean to them. I think they are taking them for granted. Maybe you'll be right and Sony will be proven right on this long term...............but at the moment I don't like it.

Then why did Sony do a Monster Hunter Wilds bundle at a discount?

What are gamers buying on PS4 at the moment?

2024年のPS Store年間ダウンロードランキングを発表！ PS5®では『FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH』が第1位！

PlayStation®Storeにおける2024年の年間ダウンロードランキングを発表！ PlayStation®5、PlayStation®4、PlayStation®VR2、基本プレイ無料タイトルの合計4つのランキン […]

blog.ja.playstation.com

 

[Orbital2060]

Oh no not another pulicat doomed hottake. Capcom and Sony better pack it up. How do you know it's down 871K?

Weekly progression of MH World on PS4 vs Wilds on PS5:

Media Create Sales: Week 10, 2025 (Mar 03 - Mar 09)

Media Create Sales: Week 10, 2025 (Mar 03 - Mar 09) ___ Famitsu Sales: Week 10, 2025 (Mar 03 - Mar 09) 01./01. [PS5] Monster Hunter Wilds # (Capcom) {2025.02.28} (¥9.082) - 101.058 / 702.237 (-83%) 02./00. [NSW] Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars (Konami)...

www.installbaseforum.com

Week 2: 1.573.686 (PS4 World) - 702.237 (PS5 Wilds) = 871.449 units

 

[Mozza]

Of course I'm being serious. Imagine a 5 year old beating an 8 year old in a football match. It's truly impressive how strong the ps5 is especially in handheld land.

So basically not being serious at all.

 

[Mozza]

huh? their quarter reports ALWAYS mention shipped units...not sold through.

They did release PR statements when PS5 reached some milestones like 10M, 20M...maybe even 30M but that's it...they stopped because there's no reasons for that. Their competition has been left in the dust now lmao.

Let's not move the goal post like this come on now...

I thought Sony used to make a point of reporting sold through units. Now you are moving the goalposts...

 

[John Wick]

Weekly progression of MH World on PS4 vs Wilds on PS5:

Media Create Sales: Week 10, 2025 (Mar 03 - Mar 09)

Media Create Sales: Week 10, 2025 (Mar 03 - Mar 09) ___ Famitsu Sales: Week 10, 2025 (Mar 03 - Mar 09) 01./01. [PS5] Monster Hunter Wilds # (Capcom) {2025.02.28} (¥9.082) - 101.058 / 702.237 (-83%) 02./00. [NSW] Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars (Konami)...

www.installbaseforum.com

Week 2: 1.573.686 (PS4 World) - 702.237 (PS5 Wilds) = 871.449 units

So does this take into account digital?
Or is this just physical sales only?
If not then pretty much worthless.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Boyo was I wrong! I thought MHWilds would propel PS5 to new heights in Japan.

 

[Woopah]

106k last week and nearly 53k this week? So PS5 halved from the Monster Hunter high?

Switch continues to dwindle. 3 more weeks until we learn how many more weeks from that the Switch 2 comes out.

That's pretty normal. Switch also halved after its Monster Hunter high.

This just makes no sense to me. What is Sony thinking?

What Sony is thinking about is the weakness of the yen. This made it very attractive for people to buy PS5s in Japan and resell them abroad, which hurt their margins.

So the price rises Sony have done are less about the Japan market itself and more about the position of the yen.

But maybe if they invested in Japan for the PS5, the sales would be better now.

But would it be worth it? That's the key question I think, because the amount of investment required to make a meaningful difference for PS in Japan is high and fairly risky.

What sort of investments would you want them to make?

 

[Woopah]

Digital PS5 rankings for Feb with physical sales numbers:

1. Monster Hunter Wilds - 601,179
2. Yakuza 8 Gaiden: Pirates in Hawaii - 77,608
3. Warriors: Abyss
4. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II - 9,500 - 10,720
5. Urban Legend Dismantling Center - 1,357-3,630
6. Dynasty Warriors: Origins - 11,259
7. Minecraft
8. Sid Meier's Civilization VII - 3,029 - 5,302
9. Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist
10. Hogwarts Legacy
11. Palworld
12. Snezhinka the Savior
13. Raft
14. Persona 3 Reload
15. Party Animals
16. EA SPORTS FC 25
17. Grand Theft Auto V
18. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
19. Exit 8
20. NBA 2K25

Unsurprisingly, a cheaper indie game had a higher digital ratio than some more expensive AAA titles. The rest is as expexted.

Mibu no ookami , this is why I was saying the store.playstation charts aren't pretty analogous to units sold, even if you filter it down to solely games above 5,000 yen. Those charts indicated a massive disconnect between the physical and digital sales of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, when in reality there was no disconnect at all.

 

[mckmas8808]

That's pretty normal. Switch also halved after its Monster Hunter high.

What Sony is thinking about is the weakness of the yen. This made it very attractive for people to buy PS5s in Japan and resell them abroad, which hurt their margins.

So the price rises Sony have done are less about the Japan market itself and more about the position of the yen.

But would it be worth it? That's the key question I think, because the amount of investment required to make a meaningful difference for PS in Japan is high and fairly risky.

What sort of investments would you want them to make?

2 investments.

- More Japanese focused style games
- Lower the price of the PS5 to day one launch day prices.

 

[yogaflame]

The question is how many ps4 console was sold on the same two week period when MHworld was launch?

 

[pulicat]

Digital PS5 rankings for Feb with physical sales numbers:

1. Monster Hunter Wilds - 601,179
2. Yakuza 8 Gaiden: Pirates in Hawaii - 77,608
3. Warriors: Abyss
4. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II - 9,500 - 10,720
5. Urban Legend Dismantling Center - 1,357-3,630
6. Dynasty Warriors: Origins - 11,259
7. Minecraft
8. Sid Meier's Civilization VII - 3,029 - 5,302
9. Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist
10. Hogwarts Legacy
11. Palworld
12. Snezhinka the Savior
13. Raft
14. Persona 3 Reload
15. Party Animals
16. EA SPORTS FC 25
17. Grand Theft Auto V
18. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
19. Exit 8
20. NBA 2K25

Unsurprisingly, a cheaper indie game had a higher digital ratio than some more expensive AAA titles. The rest is as expexted.

Mibu no ookami , this is why I was saying the store.playstation charts aren't pretty analogous to units sold, even if you filter it down to solely games above 5,000 yen. Those charts indicated a massive disconnect between the physical and digital sales of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, when in reality there was no disconnect at all.

 

[zedinen]

This just makes no sense to me. What is Sony thinking?

SIE raised PS5 prices after the yen staged an epic rally against the dollar, euro and yuan, and Sony Group shares plunged.

It's worth mentioning that Sony Group operating income declined 7% in FY23, cash reserves dropped by ¥167 bn, debt almost doubled in just two years, and Pictures and I&SS cut their profit forecasts in the second quarter of FY24.

If SIE permanently dropped PS5 prices to 299-399, Yoshida (Chairman, 1959) and Totoki (CEO, 1964) would be cooked.

They are leaning on PlayStation to buoy the whole conglomerate's financials for the next several years, and cling to power.

Their ambition has done serious damage to PS5 in Europe and Japan.

Last year, sales declined 20% in Europe, where the PS5 is trailing the PS4 by 7 million, and 43% in Japan.

However, China is making PS5 hardware sales unpredictable.

Jim Ryan had the foresight to invest in China, and SIE is starting to reap the rewards.

This is what I fundamentally disagree with, with you on this topic. Those people will buy games, subscriptions, accessories, etc.

Jim Ryan prioritized Japan over Europe, his own territory, because Japan was #2 in overall PS Store spending.

Japanese PlayStation players spend a lot of money on F2P and digital games (Source: SIE, 2022)

Jim Ryan retired in March 2024. The PS5 was on track to sell 13 million in Japan, a significant improvement over the PS3 and PS4.

Ironically, the Japanese executives have surely ruined PlayStation chances of recovery in Japan.

LTD
PS5 5,459,563 (Mar 31, 2024)
PS4 4,536,525 (Apr 2, 2017)

----------------------------
LTD
PS5 6,718,977 (Mar 10, 2025)
PS4 6,505,208 (Mar 11, 2018)

But maybe if they invested in Japan for the PS5, the sales would be better now.

PlayStation has made $21 bn since 2014. Where did the profit go ?

 

[Woopah]

2 investments.

- More Japanese focused style games
- Lower the price of the PS5 to day one launch day prices.

The issue with lowering the price is that it will largely lead to people outside Japan buying PS5s from the country and reselling them. This hurts Sony's margins but doesn't really help their position in Japan at all.

If the yen strengthens, then Sony can look at lowering the price.

In terms of Japanese style games, what developers/genres were you thinking?

Because Sony is actually one of the best publishers on PS5 (at least in terms of physical sales.) They were the biggest publisher on PS5 in Japan in 2020, 2021 and 2022. In 2023 they were 2nd, only behind SE.

With a couple of exceptions, third parties aren't really able to have big hitters in Japan either, and that is the core of the problem for Sony.

The question is how many ps4 console was sold on the same two week period when MHworld was launch?

In total there were 249,718 PS4s sold in those two weeks.

Several of those games could indeed have 70% digital ratios or above. Urban Legend probably did for example.

 

[yogaflame]

The issue with lowering the price is that it will largely lead to people outside Japan buying PS5s from the country and reselling them. This hurts Sony's margins but doesn't really help their position in Japan at all.

If the yen strengthens, then Sony can look at lowering the price.

In terms of Japanese style games, what developers/genres were you thinking?

Because Sony is actually one of the best publishers on PS5 (at least in terms of physical sales.) They were the biggest publisher on PS5 in Japan in 2020, 2021 and 2022. In 2023 they were 2nd, only behind SE.

With a couple of exceptions, third parties aren't really able to have big hitters in Japan either, and that is the core of the problem for Sony.

In total there were 249,718 PS4s sold in those two weeks.

Several of those games could indeed have 70% digital ratios or above. Urban Legend probably did for example.

I see. How many again Ps5 console were sold in the same two weeks period for MHWild?

 

[Woopah]

I see. How many again Ps5 console were sold in the same two weeks period for MHWild?

161,518 PS5s were sold in that period.

 

[yogaflame]

161,518 PS5s were sold in that period.

I see so thats 88,200 the difference between the two. Thank you.

 

[Woopah]

I see so thats 88,200 the difference between the two. Thank you.

Yes, this was PS5's best chance to catch up with PS4 launch-aligned, but it didn't quite make it.

 

[yogaflame]

Yes, this was PS5's best chance to catch up with PS4 launch-aligned, but it didn't quite make it.

Price cut could have help sold more ps5 in Japan. Im sure Japan gamers want one but its really expensive in Japan. Anyway, Im sure Sony profit margin is very good. Sony cannot do the same thing like in the past were they subsidize or carry the cost of each console sale. That is too much especially with recession in Japan and aftermath of covid 19 to the world economy.

 

[Woopah]

Price cut could have help sold more ps5 in Japan. Im sure they want one but its really expensive in Japan. Anyway, Im sure Sony profit margin is very good. Sony cannot do the same thing like in the past were they subsidize or carry the cost of each console sale. That is too much especially with recession in Japan and aftermath of covid 19 to the world economy.

Sony were really fucked over by the weakness of the yen, and I think we could see Sony react as well through the price of the Switch 2.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Mibu no ookami , this is why I was saying the store.playstation charts aren't pretty analogous to units sold, even if you filter it down to solely games above 5,000 yen. Those charts indicated a massive disconnect between the physical and digital sales of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, when in reality there was no disconnect at all.

Even you must see that this is an outlier month with entire focus shifting to Monster Hunter and very few new releases...

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Sony were really fucked over by the weakness of the yen, and I think we could see Sony react as well through the price of the Switch 2.

There is a time coming for Sony to drop the price of the PS5, not only in Japan but globally. We've seen some willingness from Sony to strategiaclly discount the PS5.

We've seen the PS5 Digital as low as 375 USD. We're not far from a 350 USD discounted price for the digital model which would surely undercut the Switch 2.

The PS5 is currently running with a bundle instead of heavier discounting with Astro Bot, but I fully expect we'll see a 100 dollar price drop across the PS5 family from standard pricing, so the only question is when before or after GTA6 and whether there will be a GTA6 bundle.

PS5 DE - 350
PS5 - 400
PS5 Pro - 600

This assortment of pricing places Sony in a pretty aggressive position to compete with basically everyone. Cheaper than the Switch 2 and aggressively priced against PC.

We're going to soon see how aggressive Sony's forecast is for the fiscal year and we're going to see how well they stay on pace and whether they need to do any aggressive pricing before GTA. My guess is that they won't. The margins they can get by forgoing a price cut before GTA6 is tremendous.

 

[Woopah]

Even you must see that this is an outlier month with entire focus shifting to Monster Hunter and very few new releases...

How would Monster Hunter affect what you were saying?

You said there seemed to be a massive disconnect between physical and digital sales on PS5, because KCD II was 21st in a digital revenue chart you were looking at

But in terms of unit sales in Feb, Kingdom Come was 4th in digital and 4th in physical units. So not much of a disconnect for that game. There wasn't too much of a disconnect for any game.

Our discussion was on whether those store.playstation charts are pretty analogous to units sold (for games of similar price). You said they are and I said they aren't.

They were not analogous at all in Feb. Many of the games that were above KCD II in the store.playstation charts are much lower in the digital unit chart or don't appear at all, due to the reasons I outlined (pre-orders and MTX).

In general, the physical unit numbers we get from Famitsu give us a really good (though not perfect) idea of how PS5 games will rank in terms of digital units.

Hopefully I've summarised the discussion accurately, but let me know if there's any part you disagree with.

 

[Woopah]

Price cut could have help sold more ps5 in Japan. Im sure Japan gamers want one but its really expensive in Japan. Anyway, Im sure Sony profit margin is very good. Sony cannot do the same thing like in the past were they subsidize or carry the cost of each console sale. That is too much especially with recession in Japan and aftermath of covid 19 to the world economy.

The main factor for Sony in Japan is the weakness of the yen. That makes it trickier to lower the price in Japan vs. elsewhere

There is a time coming for Sony to drop the price of the PS5, not only in Japan but globally. We've seen some willingness from Sony to strategiaclly discount the PS5.

We've seen the PS5 Digital as low as 375 USD. We're not far from a 350 USD discounted price for the digital model which would surely undercut the Switch 2.

The PS5 is currently running with a bundle instead of heavier discounting with Astro Bot, but I fully expect we'll see a 100 dollar price drop across the PS5 family from standard pricing, so the only question is when before or after GTA6 and whether there will be a GTA6 bundle.

PS5 DE - 350
PS5 - 400
PS5 Pro - 600

This assortment of pricing places Sony in a pretty aggressive position to compete with basically everyone. Cheaper than the Switch 2 and aggressively priced against PC.

We're going to soon see how aggressive Sony's forecast is for the fiscal year and we're going to see how well they stay on pace and whether they need to do any aggressive pricing before GTA. My guess is that they won't. The margins they can get by forgoing a price cut before GTA6 is tremendous.

In the West I agree. A permanent price cut for the standard and digital editions is definitely something I can see for autumn 2025 to align with GTA VI and combat Switch 2 (think its too early for a permanent price cut for the Pro).

But unless there's a meaningful change in the yen I don't think they can do much in Japan, maybe get it down to where it was after the first price rise.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

The main factor for Sony in Japan is the weakness of the yen. That makes it trickier to lower the price in Japan vs. elsewhere

In the West I agree. A permanent price cut for the standard and digital editions is definitely something I can see for autumn 2025 to align with GTA VI and combat Switch 2 (think its too early for a permanent price cut for the Pro).

But unless there's a meaningful change in the yen I don't think they can do much in Japan, maybe get it down to where it was after the first price rise.

I think you're misreading this.

The Pro is going to be aligned with the base systems in any permanent price cuts. No doubt, Sony has priced the PS5 Pro for early adopters, which isn't to suggest that the price will remain as is for a long period of time.

The PS4 Pro dropped in price after less than a year on the market (11 months).

If the base PS5 receives a permanent price cut before GTA6 comes out or concurrently, so will the Pro.

I think you're also confused by the position of the yen as well. The PS5 isn't more expensive in Japan than it is in the United States (depending on what state).

In California the sales tax is 7.25%. If you take the PS5 digital (non bundle) which is 450 dollars apply the 7.25% sales tax (state tax only), you get 482.63. You convert that to yen and you get 71,740.53 yen. The MSRP for the PS5 Digital is 72,980 yen. In some locations in Lousiana the combined sales tax reaches 10.12%. Doing the same math that brings you to 495.54 USD or 73,659.54 yen.

There's absolutely no reason to think that if a global price drop happens it would somehow pass over Japan.

At 350 dollars plus 7.25% tax, you're looking at 375.36 USD or 55,795.39 yen. Which is likely cheaper than the Switch 2 will be. Not quite as cheap as the PS5 when it launched, but certainly cheaper than it has been in a long time.

Sony's price increase in Japan was to keep the PS5 in line with global and particularly US prices otherwise, the PS5 digital would be selling for 269 dollars (tax included)...

 

[Mibu no ookami]

How would Monster Hunter affect what you were saying?

When everyone is playing the same game there's going to be less disparity between charts. That much should be clear to everyone.

You said there seemed to be a massive disconnect between physical and digital sales on PS5, because KCD II was 21st in a digital revenue chart you were looking at

I said there CAN be a disconnect not that there always is one.

But in terms of unit sales in Feb, Kingdom Come was 4th in digital and 4th in physical units. So not much of a disconnect for that game. There wasn't too much of a disconnect for any game.

When I said that, it was towards the end of the month, which suggests a major drop off from initial sales. The game released on the 4th. Given how high it is, do you think it'll chart again for March? I'm guessing you don't.

Our discussion was on whether those store.playstation charts are pretty analogous to units sold (for games of similar price). You said they are and I said they aren't.

They were not analogous at all in Feb. Many of the games that were above KCD II in the store.playstation charts are much lower in the digital unit chart or don't appear at all, due to the reasons I outlined (pre-orders and MTX).

In general, the physical unit numbers we get from Famitsu give us a really good (though not perfect) idea of how PS5 games will rank in terms of digital units.

Hopefully I've summarised the discussion accurately, but let me know if there's any part you disagree with.

Keep an eye on the charts throughout the month and not only for newly released titles and you'll start to see more of a disconnect.

 

[Woopah]

When everyone is playing the same game there's going to be less disparity between charts. That much should be clear to everyone.

In the week we were talking about, Dynasty Warriors was 2nd on the physical chart and 12th in the digital revenue chart, while KCD II was 3rd on the physical chart and 21st in the digital revenue chart. Why would Monster Hunter coming out lessen this disparity?

We can look at the January chart which didn't have MH, and there is also very little disparity

The cause of the disparity is pre-orders and MTX. For example, the store.playstaion Japan charts for last week (over 5,000 yen) have Atelier Yumia in 2nd and AC Shadows in 3rd. It is impossible for those games to have been 2nd and 3rd in digital units sold last week, because they are not out.

I said there CAN be a disconnect not that there always is one.

You said "There seems to be a massive disconnect between physical and digital sales" and specifically used Kingdom Come and Dynasty Warriors as examples of the disconnect. Now we know those games did not really have a disconnect between physical and digital.

When I said that, it was towards the end of the month, which suggests a major drop off from initial sales. The game released on the 4th. Given how high it is, do you think it'll chart again for March? I'm guessing you don't.

But even at the end of the month, the game would have been selling more units than all the games which ranked above it on store.playstaion and has not yet come out. Because the digital unit sales for those games would have been 0.

Its hard to judge now that its outside the Famitsu charts, but no I don't think Kingdom Come will rank highly in March.

Keep an eye on the charts throughout the month and not only for newly released titles and you'll start to see more of a disconnect.

What non-newly released titles have you seen a disconnect for?

 

[Fafalada]

Even if the split is 60-40 in favor of digital, still a disaster.

I have to ask - how would 1.8M in 2 weeks be 'a disaster' on any PS platform in Japan in the last 15 years?

 

[Woopah]

I think you're misreading this.

The Pro is going to be aligned with the base systems in any permanent price cuts. No doubt, Sony has priced the PS5 Pro for early adopters, which isn't to suggest that the price will remain as is for a long period of time.

The PS4 Pro dropped in price after less than a year on the market (11 months).

If the base PS5 receives a permanent price cut before GTA6 comes out or concurrently, so will the Pro.

I see the logic in that, you may very well be right.

I think you're also confused by the position of the yen as well. The PS5 isn't more expensive in Japan than it is in the United States (depending on what state).

In California the sales tax is 7.25%. If you take the PS5 digital (non bundle) which is 450 dollars apply the 7.25% sales tax (state tax only), you get 482.63. You convert that to yen and you get 71,740.53 yen. The MSRP for the PS5 Digital is 72,980 yen. In some locations in Lousiana the combined sales tax reaches 10.12%. Doing the same math that brings you to 495.54 USD or 73,659.54 yen.

There's absolutely no reason to think that if a global price drop happens it would somehow pass over Japan.

At 350 dollars plus 7.25% tax, you're looking at 375.36 USD or 55,795.39 yen. Which is likely cheaper than the Switch 2 will be. Not quite as cheap as the PS5 when it launched, but certainly cheaper than it has been in a long time.

Sony's price increase in Japan was to keep the PS5 in line with global and particularly US prices otherwise, the PS5 digital would be selling for 269 dollars (tax included)...

It is more expensive for the people living in those countries though. If the yen falls in value against the dollar, that doesn't make products cheaper for people living in Japan and paying in yen.

In the West they have the opportunity to bring the PS5 price down to lower than launch, but I don't think they have that opportunity in Japan given the yen's position.

 

[SweetTooth]

I have to ask - how would 1.8M in 2 weeks be 'a disaster' on any PS platform in Japan in the last 15 years?

Even of it sold 10m in 2 days in JP.. It would be still a disaster to LordOcidax lol

 

[Mibu no ookami]

It is more expensive for the people living in those countries though. If the yen falls in value against the dollar, that doesn't make products cheaper for people living in Japan and paying in yen.

In the West they have the opportunity to bring the PS5 price down to lower than launch, but I don't think they have that opportunity in Japan given the yen's position.

That's not really how global pricing works. The weak yen impacts everyone in Japan, it also means repatriation of revenue from overseas is more valuable.

As I said, there is no chance of bringing down the price lower than launch in Japan, but that's got nothing to do with Sony. That's just how weak the yen has fallen since the PS5 launched.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

In the week we were talking about, Dynasty Warriors was 2nd on the physical chart and 12th in the digital revenue chart, while KCD II was 3rd on the physical chart and 21st in the digital revenue chart. Why would Monster Hunter coming out lessen this disparity?

We can look at the January chart which didn't have MH, and there is also very little disparity

The cause of the disparity is pre-orders and MTX. For example, the store.playstaion Japan charts for last week (over 5,000 yen) have Atelier Yumia in 2nd and AC Shadows in 3rd. It is impossible for those games to have been 2nd and 3rd in digital units sold last week, because they are not out.



You said "There seems to be a massive disconnect between physical and digital sales" and specifically used Kingdom Come and Dynasty Warriors as examples of the disconnect. Now we know those games did not really have a disconnect between physical and digital.

Re-read what I said and when I said it.

But even at the end of the month, the game would have been selling more units than all the games which ranked above it on store.playstaion and has not yet come out. Because the digital unit sales for those games would have been 0.

Its hard to judge now that its outside the Famitsu charts, but no I don't think Kingdom Come will rank highly in March.


What non-newly released titles have you seen a disconnect for?

Exactly.

There was a disconnect for DQ3, which was still high on the retail list but low on the digital list AFTER its first launch month.