Despite failed live-service attempts and a limited number of exclusives, Sony proudly declares that PS5 is its golden goose. With $136 billion in revenue, PlayStation 5 has become the most profitable generation in the brand’s history, far surpassing all its predecessors.

It will still be 2–3 years before PlayStation 5 hands the torch to PlayStation 6, which has already become a top priority for Sony. While many argue that the current generation has been marred by questionable corporate decisions and mid-cycle price hikes, the truth is that Sony has achieved unprecedented success with the PS5.

Even with live-service failures, PS5 remains Sony’s golden goose

With the PS5 ecosystem now fully matured, Sony used the Tokyo Game Show 2025 as the perfect opportunity to celebrate its achievements. Hideaki Nishino, Sony’s CEO, described PlayStation as an interconnected ecosystem driven by digital services and the PlayStation Store. Since its launch in November 2020, PlayStation 5 has generated a staggering $136 billion.

This figure dwarfs the $107 billion revenue of the PS4 era, $71 billion of the PS3, $44 billion of the PS2, and $24 billion of the original PlayStation. Nishino clarified that the revenue was calculated using the average dollar/yen exchange rate for each period and includes PS4 revenue generated during the PS5 era. The player base is still expanding, with over 80.3 million PS5 units sold to date, compared to 117.2 million PS4s.

PlayStation could have made even more money

According to Nishino, the growth of the PlayStation Store and strong publisher support were key factors behind PS5’s success (IGN). However, Sony’s revenue could have been even higher if not for its string of failed “games as a service” projects. Many were canceled, delayed, or shut down shortly after launch, costing major studios like Bluepoint Games, Bend Studios, Naughty Dog, and Firewalk Studios significant time, money, and resources.

Following the failure of Concord, Sony insists it has learned valuable lessons and remains committed to live-service development. Titles like Marathon and possibly Fairgames are expected to launch next year, while several internal studios continue to work on similar projects. Even so, PlayStation remains focused on narrative-driven AAA experiences: Ghost of Yotei is just around the corner, with Saros and Marvel’s Wolverine slated for 2026. The company has stated that it will continue releasing one or two major exclusives per year, suggesting that PS6 will follow a similar strategy — though PlayStation 5 is set to play a far more central role than the PS4 did this generation.

Source: 3djuegos