PS5 experiences record sales during holiday period, PlayStation revenues reach $11bn

gamesindustry.biz:

Sony has published its financial results for the nine months ending December 31, 2024, which saw growth across the board but especially during the holiday period.

The platform holder saw major increases in revenue in its Games & Network Services segment, with the PS5 experiencing its best quarter so far. The firm has increased its sales forecasts for PlayStation as a result.

Here's what you need to know:

For the nine months ended December 31, 2024

Games & network services

Sony shipped 9.5 million PS5 units over the holiday period (Q3) compared to last year. This total includes sales of the PlayStation Pro, which launched in November 2024.

The holiday season proved to be the best quarter for the PS5 so far, with the firm noting that it was "essentially the same level as the cumulative sales for the PS4 for the same period since launch."

Across the nine months ended December 2024, the PS5 shipped 15.7 million units. When you consider the Q1 calendar sales, 20.2 million units were moved in 2024.

By the end of the third quarter, the number of monthly active users grew to 129 million – up from 123 million compared to December 2023 – marking the highest number of MAUs in PS history. The total play time also increased by 2% YoY during Q3, resulting in a seventh consecutive year of YoY growth.

Over 40% of consumers who bought a PS5 during the holiday period were new to the console, which "contributed substantially" to MAU growth.

Full game sales were 95.9 million during the third quarter, with 11.6 million being first-party titles. While full game sales increased from 89.7 million sold in the same period last year, first-party sales dropped from 16.2 million.

During its earnings call, Sony highlighted the success of Astro Bot and Helldivers 2 – two first-party titles released in September and August 2024 respectively.

Astro Bot sold 1.5 million units after 58 days on the market, while Helldivers 2 sold 12 million units (combined PS and PC sales) after 87 days on the market.

Noting