Video game: Sony wants to turn to PCs, mobiles and online services to expand its audience

Production of the PlayStation 5, released at the end of 2020, is still the victim of supply chain disruptions linked to the pandemic, and Sony, which expects to sell at least 18 million copies in its new 2022/23 fiscal year, which started in early April. , struggling to meet the high demand.

While promising an "acceleration of the production of the PlayStation 5" this year, the president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Jim Ryan, said Thursday that he wanted to "stimulate the growth" of the group in video games thanks to games for PC and mobiles. .

“We have not been present in a significant way” in these areas, admitted Mr. Ryan during an online presentation, saying that he sees in these media “the opportunity to evolve from a presence in a segment narrowing of the game market towards full presence".

Sony wants PC and mobile titles to account for nearly half of its internally developed game releases by 2025/26, up from less than a third now.

Banking on lucrative video game series like "God of War", released on PC in January, the group expects PC sales of up to $300 million in 2022/23, almost quadrupling over a year, and sees "a future where large parts of our community extend beyond consoles.

To diversify its offer on all media, Sony also wants to increase its presence in online games known as "live services", which seek to stimulate the long-term interest - and the portfolio - of players by regularly enriching themselves with content. additional.

It relies in particular on the expertise in this area of ​​the American game publisher Bungie (creator of the “Halo” and “Destiny” franchises), which it announced in January the acquisition for 3.6 billion dollars.

“We are far from having finished with our policy” of studio acquisitions, assured Mr. Ryan, while Sony and its American rival Microsoft are increasing their announcements of takeovers.

Asked moreover about Sony's ambitions in the virtual universe of the metaverse, announced as the next age of the internet, Mr. Ryan stressed that "nobody knows what it will look like in the future".

"I don't think (the metaverse) will directly replace existing ways of playing," he said.

© 2022 AFP