There is no doubt that the PlayStation brand is one of the strongest brands in the gaming industry. With the massive success of the PlayStation 4 this generation thanks in part to smart marketing decisions and hugely successful first-party software, this generation has been one of Sony’s strongest. However, it looks like they have no intention of slowing down anytime soon. In a report from the Wall Street Journal, a huge focus of the next generation PlayStation will be on the hardcore gaming audience. PlayStation has become such a massive part of Sony’s profitability and what has made the company so healthy over the past few years. During their most recent fiscal year, the PlayStation brand generated $21 billion in revenue and almost $3 billion in operating profit. This money is generated from game sales, accessories, console sales and of course subscriptions sales. Which many different hardware companies and publishers are chasing the elusive subscription dollar. Now you may ask, how does Sony plan to continue this roaring success into the next generation of PlayStation?
With analysts projecting the next generation PlayStation to land somewhere in Fall 2020, undoubtedly around the same time as Xbox’s next-generation “Scarlett” console. What is their plan to stand out from their competition? In a simple answer, they plan to continue to build relationships with big developers and publishers, to bring the biggest games to the console. With a major focus on delivering big budget games whether from first party studios such as God of War, Days Gone, or from 3rd party studios such as Marvel’s Spider-man from Insomniac Games. Sony believes that people buy video game consoles for graphics-heavy experiences.
In terms of who their major competition will be next generation as stated in the report, that Microsoft remains to be PlayStations main focus of competition. No doubt with the Xbox’s recent Game Pass subscription service and massive studio acquisition binge, they are certainly on Sony’s radar. However, PlayStation doesn’t consider Nintendo to be a major rival because they believe that Nintendo focuses on a different demographic then PlayStation.
It appears that Sony understands what kind of content their audience craves, and the plan is to continue to deliver that content with the next generation PlayStation. With higher graphical fidelity, better load times and a focus on big blockbuster games.
What do you think of the latest information on the direction of the next generation PlayStation? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to check back for the latest gaming news and information.
