Sony held onto its position as gaming’s second biggest money maker for the financial year ending 31st March, but it looks set to fall a position once Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is finalised. PlayStation pulled in $18.2 billion in revenue for the previous fiscal term, which was eclipsed only by Tencent’s eye-watering $32.2 billion. Apple rounded out the top three with $15.3 billion.
In the research, compiled by Newzoo and reported by Venture Beat, PlayStation actually saw a 2.3 per cent dip year-over-year, due largely to PS5 stock issues and the easing of lockdown restrictions. Many people were pushed towards gaming during the height of the pandemic, which saw a huge increase in engagement on games consoles like the PS5 and PS4. With those issues now easing, many are slowly returning to their usual routines, leaving less time for gaming.
Regardless, it looks like Sony’s position in second place looks likely to fall, as Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is likely to make its gaming department a bigger money spinner than PlayStation’s – unless, of course, it responds in kind. The Xbox division pulled $12.9 billion in revenue for the previous fiscal year, while Activision Blizzard managed $8.1 billion.
Nintendo, for the sake of interest, registered $8.1 billion, but it’s worth remembering that profit and revenue are not the same, and the House of Mario is extremely profitable despite its revenue being lower. It’ll be interesting to see how the PlayStation business matures over the coming generation, as it looks to new growth vectors, like the rebooted PS Plus subscription and PC gaming.
