With its PS5, Sony is currently in a bittersweet situation. On the one hand, the console is selling very well and is in high demand. On the other hand, component supply problems prevent it from putting as many machines on the market as it would like. While this can be viewed as a rich man’s problem, it could still hurt the PlayStation brand in the long run.
More and more PlayStation players are turning away from Sony consoles in favor of the PC. This is what a “ruler“from a Japanese publisher to the American site Bloomberg. The latter recently published an article regarding the problems Sony is currently having with PS5 production. He indicates that the manufacturer has recently revised downwards its production forecast for PS5 for the current fiscal year. Once again, this situation is caused by the shortages of various components.
According to Bloomberg, this situation would make it difficult to meet the PS5 sales targets that Sony had set for the fiscal year. And according to various statements we have heard in recent times, the supply problems are unlikely to improve for many months. Obviously, this situation has an impact on consumers.
From PlayStation to PC there is only one step?
Some gamers continue to wisely wait to be able to get a PS5. Others are starting to get impatient and are now considering alternative gambling solutions. As mentioned above, Bloomberg indeed reveals that one of the main Japanese publishers has noticed that players who used to buy PlayStation versions of games are gradually switching to PC versions. Bloomberg indicates to hold this declaration of an executive of this editor who wished to remain anonymous.
The site does not specify whether this statement related only to the Japanese market or the overall situation. But this impression is obviously shared by some publishers around the world. SEGA has for a long time offered only on PlayStation consoles some of its Japanese productions. For several years, the Japanese publisher has openly focused on the PC. Sales of the PC version of Persona 4 Golden, a game initially exclusive to PS Vita, are proof that this strategy has merit.
And that is just one example. Other Japanese publishers historically linked to consoles and very present on PlayStation consoles have been pushing for PCs for several years. The current PC offering from companies like Bandai Namco Entertainment, Capcom or Square Enix is further proof of this. Sony itself is also starting to offer its headlines on PC. This shows that according to the manufacturer, offering its games on its machines alone does not allow them to achieve their full commercial potential. And that releasing these titles on the PC does not hurt the sales of PlayStation consoles.
Japan as an example?
Coming back to the Japanese market specifically, it’s clear that the PS5 is selling well there. The Japanese archipelago also suffers from supply problems but the console has already passed the milestone of one million machines sold. It appears, however, that in Japan, sales of physical PS5 games do not keep pace with sales of consoles. Indeed, the Famitsu charts underline week after week the domination of the Switch. And the few new PlayStation games that appear on the weekly leaderboard are usually PS4 versions.
While the console market is not what it used to be in Japan, Switch sales show that the market still exists. Can the Japanese market serve as an example to point out that players who turned to PlayStation consoles to play certain titles now use the PC to do so? The lack of precise global sales figures makes it difficult to say so. And if there is a transition, it was not necessarily caused by the shortages of PS5. If the latter were to continue in the long term, it is not improbable that they will encourage players to look elsewhere.
What do you think of the opinion of this anonymous Japanese editor? Do you think this is a reality? Have you made the switch from PlayStation consoles to PC? If yes, why ? Could the inability to buy a PS5 encourage you to change your video game creamery? Tell us all in the comments below.
