In a financial presentation last night, Sony exec Jim Ryan noted that, despite a strong launch, PS5 sales were lagging behind PS4 in its equivalent second year owing to supply constraints. Those supply constraints are due to both the Covid pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine, but remain a top priority for Sony. The pandemic has caused a shortage of parts inventory, as already documented in its impact across all consoles and PC parts. However, Russia’s war in Ukraine has been blamed for its impact on logistics and potential parts inventory. Over the next year, PS5 sales are expected to close the gap on the year-on-year PS4 equivalent and will overtake the following year. How? Sony has a couple of mitigation measures in progress. Firstly, it’s sourcing multiple suppliers for greater agility in the current unstable market. Secondly, there are ongoing logistical negotiations to maintain optimal PS5 delivery routes. In a recent earnings call, Sony noted it missed its PS5 sales target by 3.3m consoles. However, whenever the console is back in stock, sales of software sharply rise - as can be seen in last week’s bump to Horizon Forbidden West sales. Still looking for a console? Check out our PS5 stock update guide.
