Sony is currently in a bittersweet situation with its PS5. On the one hand, the console sells very well and is in great demand. On the other hand, delivery problems in component supply prevent it from bringing any number of machines onto the market. While this can be seen as a problem for the rich, it could hurt the PlayStation brand in the long run.
More and more PlayStation gamers are turning away from Sony consoles in favor of the PC. This is what a “Ruler“from a Japanese publisher to the American side Bloomberg. The latter recently published an article on the problems Sony is currently having with PS5 production. He points out that the manufacturer recently revised down its production forecast for PS5 for the current fiscal year. This situation is in turn caused by the scarcity 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 recently, the supply problems are unlikely to improve for many months. This situation obviously has an impact on consumers.
Is it just one step from PlayStation to PC?
Some gamers continue to wait wisely to get a PS5. Others are getting impatient and are now considering alternative gambling solutions. As mentioned earlier, Bloomberg actually reveals that one of the major Japanese publishers has noticed that players who used to buy PlayStation versions of games are gradually switching to PC versions. Bloomberg says it is holding this statement from an officer of this publisher who wishes to remain anonymous.
The site does not indicate whether this statement related only to the Japanese market or the overall situation. But this impression is apparently shared by some publishers around the world. For a long time, SEGA only offered some of its Japanese productions on PlayStation consoles. The Japanese publisher has been using the PC openly for a number of years. The sale of the PC version of Persona 4 Golden, originally an exclusive game for PS Vita, is proof that this strategy is justified.
And that’s just an example. Other Japanese publishers, historically associated with consoles and very present on PlayStation consoles, have been pushing PCs for several years. The current PC range from companies such as Bandai Namco Entertainment, Capcom or Square Enix is further proof of this. Sony itself is also making its headlines on the PC. This shows that, according to the manufacturer, the full commercial potential cannot be exploited simply by offering its games on its machines. And that the release of these titles on PC does not affect the sales of PlayStation consoles.
Japan as an example?
If we come back specifically to the Japanese market, it is clear that the PS5 is selling well there. The Japanese archipelago is also suffering from supply problems, but the console has already passed the one million mark sold. However, it appears that physical PS5 game sales are not keeping up with console sales in Japan. In fact, week after week the Famitsu charts underline the dominance of the Switch. And the few new PlayStation games that appear on the weekly leaderboard are usually PS4 versions.
While the console market in Japan is no longer what it used to be, Switch sales show that the market still exists. Can the Japanese market serve as an example to suggest that players who have chosen to play certain titles on PlayStation consoles are now using the PC to do so? The lack of accurate global sales figures makes this difficult to tell. And if there’s a transition, it wasn’t necessarily due to the PS5 bottlenecks. Should the latter persist over the long term, it is not unlikely that they will encourage players to look elsewhere.
What do you think of this anonymous Japanese editor’s opinion? Do you think this is a reality? Have you switched from PlayStation consoles to PC? If yes why? Could the inability to purchase a PS5 encourage you to change your video game cremery? Tell us all about it in the comments below.
