There’s been a lot of talk about PlayStation sales in Japan recently, and that point of discussion looks set to continue as 2021 gets underway. Hardware sales statistics released by Famitsu – and compiled by ResetEra – reveal that in 2020, for the first time since 1994, cumulative PlayStation hardware sales dipped below one million units. That’s an unfortunate feat – especially when you consider 1994 was the year of the brand’s birth.
So, what does this mean? Well, frankly nothing that we haven’t already observed over the past decade or so: traditional console sales are declining in the territory. There’s been talk about Sony’s de-emphasis of its home region: several Japan Studio veterans recently departed the division, launch allocations of the PlayStation 5 have been microscopic, and there has been chatter that the entire Japanese arm of the organisation has been side-lined.
But we must also remember that there’s been a global pandemic, and Sony still managed to pull off a near-simultaneous worldwide launch for the PS5, which ultimately has led to stock shortages on a global scale. The manufacturer has also successfully grown its brand despite declining sales in its home territory, which suggests it’s tapping into new audiences to make up for the domestic shortfall. Still, it looks like the days of PlayStation being a powerhouse in Japan are well and truly over.
[source famitsu.com, via resetera.com]
Comments 49
It’s a hard one. The Switch is selling by the boatload over there so it could be due to the fact that handheld consoles just do better and the Switch’s premium price-point is discouraging those who might have perhaps had a 3DS and PS4 from doing the same alongside the Switch.
There’s also the whole massive pandemic plus stock shortages although we’d have to wait for the 2021 figures to confirm that.
There’s the also the possibility that Sony are doomed and the end is nigh. We’re all going to die.
That tagline hit me on an emotional level.
To be fair the Japanese are more interested in handheld consoles but then Sony failed at that with the vita. Unless they bring out a successor. Msin PlayStation consoles have never sold well historically in japan. I still have my vita and love playing it
ps4 sold over 100 million units, 10 million was in japan. Case closed.
@Amppari Which case is that you’ve closed? The ‘spout figures without actually reading the article’ case?
No surprise whatsoever. They're far more interested in handheld systems and those are a way more significant part of their culture when it comes to stuff like social gatherings or just everyday commodities in general. Makes total sense why the Switch is still crushing it over there compared to everything else on the market.
Japan (and the world) needs a new OLED Vita. Fix the issues with the first one, like poor wifi, expensive storage, and lack of L2, L3, R2, R3 buttons. Position it as a mobile PS5 extension, using the faster new remote play functionality. Larger screen, better processor etc.
Heck, while I'm dreaming, graphically and sonically downgrade games to run on the new hardware, and allow you to buy a package of both the mobile and PS5 version that use the same saves. Sell them together as a package to justify that 70 dollar price tag, but also sell the mobile version separately for like $50 for the people that don't have a PS5 or prefer mobile (Japan).
Make it all digital, save money on game packaging, shipping, retail partner cuts, memory etc. Allow the thing to use MicroSD. Don't do all the dumb things, like back touch panel, camera accessories and all of that, no one cares, the just want a powerful portable gaming machine. Focus on those things. Awesome controller, screen, wifi.
Wow this turned rantish
@ILikeStake As much as I'd love that I honestly think at this point it would be suicide for Sony to go in that direction with the PSP or Vita line given how quickly the Switch took off. Plus some ideas like selling a bundle of a PS5/handheld version together or just the handheld version kind of sound super confusing to explain to a casual audience. It sounds like it's trying way too hard to be Switch like lol
@TheFrenchiestFry Yeah dude totally dreaming...but the switch schtick is all about using it mobile or on a TV. I want another high end handheld like the Psp and vita was except drop all the gimmicks. I own a switch and think it's pretty cool but the performance is pretty poor.
Most of adult in japan doesn't have time for console gaming since they spend almost all of their time working, so only mobile and handheld survive.
And most parent rather buy their kids nintendo console since most of their games is for kids, games like mario, zelda, splatoon, and pokemon is way more colourful and have way less violence than sony games.
What does it matter, it’s still roughly a million consoles sold per year. That’s still a lot of profit when you take into account all of the games all those people will buy over their lifetimes. It obviously won’t compare to worldwide numbers but the profits are still significant. This should be more than enough to hold them over until they figure out a way to make a competitor to the Switch - which in this case, no pun intended, could be as simple as making a universal Vita case for your phone to use remote play on your PS5 and include it with each system sold and it would essentially give you a PS5 controller for your phone.
With a global shortage of PS5s and the fact that that PS5 have smashed its sales records does, Sony even care? I would suggest they do not just because of the initial loss of sales but it is a trend which will worry them. This is because they have not being able to break into the Chinese market, combined with the slump in sales in Japan and a massive preference for handhelds (especially mobiles) across Asia suggests the the future console model is dying. This is because Asia is perceived to be the world leader in use of technology so if they are giving up consoles today, tomorrow the world might too
I don't know why Sony can't just release another handheld. It wouldn't be hard to give it a few extra features that the Switch doesn't have but at a similar price point. And then y'know, actually support it.
But idk, I guess they've got their reasons. Maybe their hands are just too full with the new console.
What?
The PS5 fans are noisy again? Need update.
Well we have a ps5 disk drive edition and a ps5 digital edition so how about a ps5 handheld edition? Pretty sure that would sell like crazy in Japan
If I was a Japanese developer looking at those numbers I would definitely be bringing my next game to switch not PS5.
I guess that means I’ll end up playing these games on the weakest of last gen consoles rather than the best of the next gen.
@wiiware From what I've been told, management spends all their time working. Frequently, and company dependent of course, everyone else spends all their time "present" out of obligation because management is working. That time "present" can include..... Playing games at their desks... Another reason handhelds have a serious edge there....
@3MonthBeef some of us ps fans don't really care much about the interactive movie games at all. Some of us love the traditional PlayStation games that appear to be vanishing. Astrobot was a tour of so much of what ps is to me. There's still some western studios of theirs that make games i care about. Insomniac, sucker punch. Lbp/sackboy remains one of the best platformers around.
But without the Japanese studios, i foresee myself using my ps5 a lot less than my xsx once i wrap up my ps4 backlog. The idea of the once imaginative SCE being little more than an interactive movie experience production company sounds nightmarish.
We old fans care. Just not the newer fans that seem to make up their mass market, now, apparently....
On a completely crazy side note, ps3 and ps vita are finished and PS5 is out of stock. I know that's some crazy far fetched little facts. Mind blowing 🙄
Edit
Seriously good fellas though. What is the number we need to find to +1 last year? 11k?
@NEStalgia you didnt buy Knack, Dreams or Concrete genie.
Until a truly supported streaming service takes off Ninty have the Japanese market sown up.
Of course, even after that, Sony will have a difficult time so long as many Japanese developers are treated as second class partners, as well as having their games banned until censored, or just outright banned.
Sony have a lot of trust to regain in the territory since deciding to “globalise” their operations as they put it.
Not surprised in the slightest, it's all about Switch until a Vita successor happens or Sony upgrades PS Now to be at least the quality of Game Pass Ultimate. Former is never happening, latter could happen though I doubt it. Jim Ryan has said Sony has an answer to Game Pass though taking anything Jim Ryan says seriously seems like a mistake (as perfectly shown by "we believe in generations").
This narrative again 🤦♂️ the 3rd time in under 2 months this story has been on here. for a system that is sold out everywhere. Way to early for these doom predictons.
@pipes i think it matters, less about lining Sony's pockets, but because with lower sales in Japan, there is less incentive for Japanese developers to release games for the sysyem. We are already seeing the shift of traditionally playstation focussed devs to the Switch, and that is only likely to get worse. I've said it for a while - Sony needs those developers and those games because i think it's helped significantly with giving Sony it's unique identity. I dont want them to be a company that is solely focussed on western style games. Heck, my next 3 purchases will be Ys ix, Yakuza like a dragon, and Persona 5 Strikers. A few years ago, all 3 would have been exclusive to Playstation, but are now multiplatform.
What Sony can do about it is anyone's guess. Its hard not to see their point of view. Nintendo own Japan and the market is definitely much more geared towards portable gaming - which Sony has concluded is no longer profitable (sadly. I LOVE my Vita)
Without a handheld console, Sony are going to keep losing brand/sales in Japan to Nintendo. They liked the PSP, they liked the Vita but haven't been keen on anything that wasn't "gaming on the go" for quite a while.
Ps5 will still sells 100 plus ps5 and be number 1 again.word up son
@NEStalgia moaning as per usual. Wasnt Resident Evil once a PS exclusive in its early days? MGS as well? It's a myth to suggest that Sony became big in the gaming world due to kiddie games and being Nintendo lite, indeed it was because they weren't that they became 'cool' and a major player.
If anything it's Nintendo that need to start making some proper adult games instead of relying on the same old child-friendly icons from yesteryear. Honesty I don't know how they get away with it but it must be easy working for them. Need a new game? Just put Mario in it. Job done. Meeting over!
I don't see why people in the West should really care how well or otherwise Sony does in Japan. The biggest threat to console gaming comes from Xbox anyway. If their Game Pass becomes a major hit with phones and tablets and smart TVs then people will be asking Sony to launch something similar. Once they do it really is Game Over.
The stats are clear that PS home consoles have been on the decline for basically 2 decades in that region. PS3 outsold PS4, let that sink in. (though PS4 is still selling)
With gaming increasing globally as a hobby this is a worrying trend.
As long as the good Japanese devs continue to support Playstation (which they will, 3rd party games rarely sell well on Switch) I couldn't care less if they stopped selling PS5 in Japan altogether.
Let Japan have the Switch with its Gamecube HD looking visuals & full price Wii U ports. It's an overrated piece of crap if you ask me!
@themightyant Actually that suggests that for a period Sony were competitive in Japan but at some point things reverted to type and Nintendo were kings once more.
Sony peaked with the PS2 in the Land of the Rising Sun, peaked everywhere in fact in terms of hardware sales. They'll survive without being dominant in Japan, don't you worry.
@Col_McCafferty While I agree that that limited subset of data DOES show Sonys/PS's in decline in Japan, the full dataset from various sources suggest Switch, handheld and particularly mobile are doing fine. It is home consoles particularly that are in decline more than anything.
I don't worry about Sony/PS Worldwide, agreed they are in a strong position right now. I DO worry about the decline of home console sales in Japan and particularly what that will mean in terms of game development.
We need a balance of all titles including those developed in Japan, every year seems to see this shrink particularly by the bigger studios. I worry that more and more are moving to mobile games, which personally I have no interest in.
Edit: Japan accounted for 22% of global mobile game player spending on App store and Google Play in the first 9 months of last year. I worry what impact these trends will have and where we will be in 5 years / a decade. An example - Will Dragon Quest XIII (yes I've skipped one) be developed for iOS and Android over console and potentially be split into chapters or MTX. I'm not a fan of that at all, though I can fully understand companies thinking this way as a purely business decision.
Edit 2: On reflection - I've recently put over 400 hours into Genshin Impact - a AAA yet free game with MTX that launched simultaneously on iOS, Android, PC and PS4. Perhaps this is the future.
@Texan_Survivor I agree that Sony is neglecting Japan and hasn't provided as many consoles as they could.
Where we appear to differ is on who is the chicken and who the egg.
Japanese players have in their droves been moving away from home consoles to handheld and particularly mobile for over a decade. Sony just isn't making the system the vast majority of them want and is responding, as we should expect, by concentrating on the territories that are most interested in their product and trend towards growth.
I'm not saying it's all one sided either, but it's not 6 of one half a dozen of the other either. Sony is simply responding to the market. As sad as that is, it is sensible business.
How do you solve a problem like Japan? Well for starters they need software Japanese consumers want to buy. Long-term though I think streaming services are the way forward in Japan. Reading that most under 30 Japanese adults watch their films & anime on tablets, many don't even have "traditional" TVs. So you need to get the content to devices they do have. Mobile phones, tablets & PCs. It's why the idea of Game Pass is apparently appealing to Japanese consumers.
@themightyant I don't want that future though hence why I will stick with Sony by buying a PS5 at some point this year.
It seems that the solution can be a combination of developing software that appeals more to the Japanese market whilst looking at new methods of delivery. They can do all of this, I don't care, but if it impacts on the games they currently make then that's a not good thing as far as I'm concerned.
I like their 'interactive movie games' as some call them, it's what made me buy a PS4 in the first place. If they end up going against this I may end up (and trying not to throw up here) going back to Xbox. PC gaming doesn't appeal as it's far too costly and I have zero interest in Nintendo.
As with everything though money will decide what Sony choose to do. Maybe they think they will can remain successfully even without a big presence in Japan and other parts of Asia. Time will tell.
@Ichiban LOL, nice meltdown. 🤪 Real gamers like myself enjoy all platforms.
@Amppari I happen to love Knack, and especially Knack 2. Fantastic games, particularly the sequel. The first was charming but basic. I've never understood the hate surrounding them.
Though....the game was designed by Mark Cerny, technically, not Japan. And his track record for game design consists of a certain type of progressive game structure that could be considered fairly dated, but also timeless.
@3MonthBeef long sigh Gravity Rush is kind of the epitome of everything PS was, and everything they no longer want to be. That game was a gem. The mood, tone, feel, and incredibly unique gameplay. A bit of a platformer, a bit of Descent, a bit of...a lot of things. GR2 runs kind of sluggish on PS5, sadly, but I've been jumping back into that recently. Gravity Rush & the Ico trilogy (can we call it that?) represent the two faces of Sony that matter to me. Folklore, (not exactly family friendly, but you get the idea) was a hidden gem as well, back in the PS3 era. All of that seems to be gone or have gone to indies. Devs seem to love PS5, so maybe indies will keep the spirit of PS alive...but they lack the polish to really make that magic happen like it used to.
But, yeah, business-wise I see what Sony's doing. Much as Playstation and televisions is their money pot, their corporate identity these days is Sony Pictures and Sony Music. I can see why they'd marry those facets of their entertainment division. I can see, if running the company from a spreadsheet, they'd rather have 200 million movie goers buy playstation for interactive movies, than 60 million core gamers. It's like watching Nintendo go "blue ocean" with Wii. They're taking the platform to a different market for a different audience because they ran the math and calculated a greater return. And no doubt the "China market" factors in (getting tired of that...) But it's difficult for long term fans with a 25 year history of Playstation representing a certain product, for it to now represent a different type of product.
It may also tie in with their expectation of streamed games and mobile replacing consoles long term. Microsoft's solution was to go all in on "platforming" their console so it's an ecosystem of services and products across hardware devices to appeal to game enthusiasts - their strength. Sony's solution is.....leave "games" to mobile and turn "console games" into an interactive medium for film productions and just use the Sony Pictures business model, appealing to the non-game-enthusiast mass market - their strength.
Meanwhile Nintendo will probably be selling their 2014 android tablet as-is for another 4 years and outsell everyone on $60 indie-sized games everyone wants to play
@NEStalgia 🤦🤦🤦
@3MonthBeef Haha, true, that!
Unfortunately Japan isn't the gaming powerhouse it once was. When you consider the 8,16,32 bit consoles were driven by Japanese developers, those days are gone. Take a look at your collection of old games, I bet most are classic Japanese dev teams. Now the market is driven by the USA, Naughty dog, insomniac, etc....
SONY JAPAN IS CLOSING.
IT'S OVER
They need Kojima and Sony Japan to make anime/cartoon type of games to regain it. Ghost did it pretty well there. You just have to cater to it but Nintendo is impossible to defeat in jAPAN
So fans will still denied Sony is going away from Japan?
Japan will be Nintendo only market pretty soon, since MS can't do nothing there either.
Then Japanese publisher will start centering on Nintendo, they already does in my opinion.
@Axelay71 I don't known what your talking about, most of the game I have are from Japanese devs, capcom, square, Fromsoft, platinum, Nintendo, etc
Most western games a play are Indies.
@NalgasGordas I know exactly what I'm talking about, obviously you play different games to me. EA, Rock star, Naughty dog, insomniac, santa Monica, Epic, I could go on. And the facts are these developers are more popular nowadays.
@Grumblevolcano I think Sony and Nintendo are in a similar position right now. They bottled the lightning, and are riding a winner to victory. I think both are afraid to dent the "winning strategy" are are playing it as safe as possible, doubling down on continuously redoing whatever works for as long as it works, and making sure never to go far off the track. But I think in the entertainment business, safe is obscenely dangerous. The golden cash cows are fickle, and one bump in the road grinds them to a halt instantly. Without risk taking to build new ventures behind the scenes it's easy to go from pseudo-monopoly to MySpace in a matter of months. Nintendo sidestepped that problem in the past with Iwata's off-the-wall thinking. "We have lightning in a bottle and great success? Fantastic, let's discontinue that product in the height of that popularity and launch two new ones nobody asked for! Third pillars, forth pillars, everybody gets a pillar!" I don't see Furukawa doing that. And Jim Ryan is a classic film industry exec. They'll ride their horse and chase every trend like Activision rides COD. GoT was greenlit during Layden & House's time. I can't see Ryan having greenlit that kind of change, and from his reaction to launch I get the impression he expected it to fail. And you could hear the sequel gears grinding in his head already. Not that the game doesn't deserve one....but before you know it it'll be the Royale All-Stars New Horizon: The Last of God of Tsushima Playographic Universe.
In fairness, every country got fewer PS5 than needed to meet demand. That being said, I've not heard any good news about Sony in Japan recently. And that sucks coz Japan Studio is one of their best, and anything that means they are scaled down sucks.
@Col_McCafferty Whilst I'd love to see some more adult games on Nintendo's console, they seem to be doing alright focussing on more wholesome stuff.
Mario games aren't just successful because they have Mario in them. They still need to be designed. They are popular because they are good (apart from the whoring out of Mario for things like Strikers) and making them so, sequel after sequel, is hard work that should be recognised.
Nintendo in the West, regarding PS5: "Ouch, people are actually assaulting lorries for PS5s - we definitely need to up our game software-wise"
Nintendo in Japan, regarding PS5:
I think you guys are in denial lol Sony has clearly shifted their focus on the west. The warning signs were there ever since they abandoned the Vita.
Ha Ha!
<runs quickly off back to Nintendolife>
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