Sony is no longer chasing PS5 unit sales. Instead, it’s all-in on one metric: monthly active users. As the company says: “We used to focus on units sold, but now our focus is on monthly active users.”

There’s no denying this has been a very unusual console generation. At launch, getting your hands on a PS5 was nearly impossible due to the global chip shortage. Then, once availability stabilized, Sony surprised many by raising prices — not once, but twice. Even so, the PlayStation 5 has managed to sell over 77 million units to date, which puts it nearly on par with the PS4 over the same lifespan — an impressive feat given the circumstances.

But now, under the leadership of newly appointed PlayStation CEO Hideaki Nishino, Sony is taking a new path. In its latest earnings report, the company made it clear that its priority is no longer how many PS5s it can sell, but how many users it can keep engaged each month. And the latest numbers are promising: PlayStation hit a record high of 129 million monthly active users (MAUs) in recent months.

PlayStation’s PS5 Strategy Is Now About Retention, Not Sales

The more active users you retain on your platform, the more revenue opportunities you unlock. Even though there was a minor dip last quarter — down to 124 million MAUs — Sony knows where it’s headed. “We used to focus on units sold, but now our focus is on monthly active users. The direction is focused on engagement and MAUs. This is leading us toward greater profitability,” said Sony CFO Lin Tao (via Push Square).

In addition, Sony revealed that its internal game studios are operating with tighter financial discipline, streamlining costs across departments to better manage expenses. With Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei both in development, PlayStation still managed to pull in over €28 billion in revenue last fiscal year. Still, some concerns have been raised as digital sales have dropped 32% compared to physical formats.

Source: 3djuegos