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PlayStation Sony to Take Action as PS5, PS4 Owners Play Less Than Anticipated

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One of the key details from Sony’s quarterly financial report today – which also confirmed that the PS5 has shipped 21.7 million consoles – is that PS5 and PS4 owners are playing less than they were a year ago. The manufacturer noted that total gameplay time is down a sizeable 15 per cent year-over-year for the three month period ending 30th June, 2022.
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But, unsurprisingly, it’s something the firm aims to address: “We intend to take action to increase user engagement in the second half of the fiscal year, during which major titles including first-party software are scheduled to be released, primarily by increasing the supply of PS5 and promoting the new PS Plus service.”
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SOURCE

My own personal thoughts:

  • First off, lockdown last year and no lockdown this year obviously contributes to this
  • Secondly, there simply aren't too many game releases on PlayStation this year. February to April was great, with Horizon, Elden Ring, Gran Truism, LEGO Star Wars back to back, but what since then?
  • Sony's games are $70, in the middle of the worst inflation and employment crisis in a century
At least some of these factors are under Sony's control. They need to make the necessary changes, because when external circumstances out of control are this bad, you need to be putting literally your very best foot forward.
 
It would be interesting to compare engagement levels trends with Switch and Xbox (of course we can't)
 
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Maybe they shouldnt of release 2 of there biggest titles next to Elden Ring that would of helped a lot.....
 
I do wonder if enthusiasm for more casually popular games like Fortnite is starting to cool down, and that is having a generally slowing effect on the industry that Sony is feeling most acutely.
 
I just have a very little interest in their titles.

Only really would like to play Ratchet and Clank, and returnal. But I ain’t playing above 30 for those games. Even then, if they put the Ratchet and Clank Collection on PS5. I would easilyy beat all 3 titles. Ton of hours there.

I think it’ll pick up tho. It’s just been rather slow for Sony. Not being able to sell a lot. Not as many 1st party releases. Xbox making strides as well.
 
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I've had plenty of chances to purchase a PS5 (and XBS), but I just can't see a reason why. 95% of the games I'm looking forward to that aren't on Switch will also be available on PC (for which I have a game pass sub).
 
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Playstation exclusives are few and far between, and multi-plat games usually perform better on Series X.

Also, charging $125 AUD for a cosmetic remake of a game already remastered sure takes the fun out of things.

And, that whole pandemic thing...
 
Sounds like they're talking about total playtime, which is mainly attributed to popular GaaS titles like Fortnite, Apex, CoD, and Destiny 2.

This should be a perfectly normal and expected result since:
Rooster said:
This is what happens when the normal people are allowed outside again.
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I wonder how this compares with pre-covid years on Playstation?

Overall, I'd say on top of it being summer and covid restrictions lifted, there's also lot less Playstation games I'm interested in.
 
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It's been an awful year for games across the board, like a 2014-esque wasteland IMO. It's no surprise.

Though funny enough, PS5 is the console that I have most played 2022 releases on (MLB, GT, Capcom Fighting Collection have taken up decent hours, along with the 60+ hours that I put into the shockingly mediocre Horizon sequel that I want back).
 
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It’s almost like shutting down studios, focusing exclusively on AAA games and putting out like two or three first party games in an entire calendar year was a terrible idea


We are two years in and It’s been the worst start to any gen in regards to exclusive content ever. To the point where it pretty much doesn’t even feel like a generation.


Its been a crap year for everyone, but at least I get the vibe MS is working towards fixing their issues. It’s obviously going to take a long time for them but there’s like a coherent plan. It’s fun thinking about what they might do when all their pieces are in place. Phil’s out there name dropping Hexen

Sony had a good thing going and their management decided to get stupid.
 
This reminds me of something I think Imran Khan said about online games media coverage for 2022: (paraphrasing) Basically it can’t be overstated just how much engagement and traffic Elden Ring brought for around a month or even two after release (and quite a bit before as well), but since it mostly died off (as always has to happen eventually) the year has taken a pretty big nosedive on that front.

As you said, once we got into May and beyond the release slate has been pretty dire, especially for games that really drive engagement and long term play and clicks. Now of course online games media engagement and PS5 game play time don’t necessarily go hand in hand, but there’s definitely some correlation there. And of course pandemic numbers probably have a ton to do with it too.

I guess we will wait to see what the holiday titles bring and if they can turn things around. Annual sports titles are coming up, and God of War will be pretty huge. But I can’t help but feel that Sony isn’t really moving in the right direction here.
 
As far as i'm concerned, i kinda not want to play on my PS4 anymore and i can't find a PS5 at msrp for the life of me...so yeah
 
Fortnite is singlehandedly keeping PS5s turned on, Sony is gravely indebted to Donald Mustard
WestEgg said:
I do wonder if enthusiasm for more casually popular games like Fortnite is starting to cool down, and that is having a generally slowing effect on the industry that Sony is feeling most acutely.
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Zero Build got a bunch of people returning (such as myself) or playing for the first time so I don't think it's that.
 
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I think it's a combination of lackluster availability, issues stemming from the pandemic and just general growing disinterest in PlayStation by many. Their behaviour over the last decade or so has increasingly alienated parts of the fanbase that carried their systems for fifteen plus years, so the news that a lot of people aren't super interested in playing on their systems anymore doesn't shock me at all.
 
I hardly used my PS5 all year outside Elden Ring. And there just has been a lack of games that interest me this year and if there is a game I want to play. It's $70 and I'd rather wait like Horizon. I want a reason to start my PS5 right now and jump in to play, there is just nothing right now. I'm waiting for God of War and FFXVI to pull me in for a bit. But at the end of the day I want more games like Ratchet and Clank or Astro Playroom, with games actually using the duelsense.
 
sir_AnGer said:
I think it's a combination of lackluster availability, issues stemming from the pandemic and just general growing disinterest in PlayStation by many. Their behaviour over the last decade or so has increasingly alienated parts of the fanbase that carried their systems for fifteen plus years, so the news that a lot of people aren't super interested in playing on their systems anymore doesn't shock me at all.
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Case in point: Japan, where PS5 software is selling at astronomically low rates.
 
Maybe not asking for 80€ for new games would be a very good way to start.

I am willing to pay that much, but most often we're then talking about a Day One or Limited / Collectors Edition and not just the regular retail game.
 
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AngryNopon said:
As far as i'm concerned, i kinda not want to play on my PS4 anymore and i can't find a PS5 at msrp for the life of me...so yeah
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This was why my PS4 was collecting dust too prior to getting a PS5.

I know our example is not enough to deduce a pattern, but could it be that the continued PS4 support isn't helping as much as they'd hope? If people with a PS4 don't want to play inferior versions of new games and people with a PS5 don't want to play games with compromises to enable last-gen support (I don't mind, but this is a common source of gamer outrage), you'll get decreased engagement across both platforms.

The other, probably more obvious reason, is the inflation and an increasing number of people struggling to make their ends meet. Games are not going to be on the top of the list of priorities, especially with their new prices that go up to 80€ here.
 
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meatbag said:
Case in point: Japan, where PS5 software is selling at astronomically low rates.
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I think also that people prefer hybrid handhelds over stationary in Japan more and more and there is nothing to really stop that trend.

I wonder if it’s happening in other countries as well.
 
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Well, would be interesting to know how things are looking like on the other platforms.

Personally I've never been less interested in stationary, pure home consoles than I am right now. I can't imagine myself sitting in front of the TV playing a game and not being able to adjust to circumstances if the need arises, in other words: being able to quickly take the console away from the TV and continue under different circumstances. Not being able to do so feels incredibly archaic to me at this point in time/in my life -- nothing sheer computational power could make up for, tbh. Convenience and adaptability are king, and there's almost nothing less attractive to me than the lack of these traits.

Maybe, just maybe a significant amount of people agree and have less interest than ever before, but that's simply my (very) subjective read of the situation.
 
Still feels like we are in the typical lull period at the start of a gen, though taken to an extreme. There's been really nothing released on PS5 that's captured my interest, similar to the initial 2013 - 2015 period on PS4 which ended when Bloodborne released. I am hoping when FF16 comes out next year we start seeing some more consistent big Japanese games.
 
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meatbag said:
Case in point: Japan, where PS5 software is selling at astronomically low rates.
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Japan is a special case in most countries PS5 software numbers are decent, the issue has been the collapse of PS4 software sales. In Japan PS4 sales are also collapsing btw , PS is at risk of having single digit market share in 2022.
 
This is what they get for their insistence on "only huge blockbuster hits". Shutting down a lot of their studios for this purpose really killed their image. Yeah sure, games like Gravity Rush or The Last Guardian only sold a few million or less. But they drew all sorts of different people to the platform. Those few million would then be invested in the ecosystem, and be buying more games.

Also, Sony kind of turned their back on indies as well. The indie market has become absolutely huge, allowing for all sorts of different games and revivals to come. That only leaves big AAA games, which overall has just kind of disappointed.
 
  • Anything I want to play comes out on Switch and the portable factor allows my husband to watch TV while I play (I don't care if a game isn't 4K, I am not trying to count the hairs on a character's head)
  • There is nothing PS5-exclusive that makes me want to chase one down and spend how much money to get an entire setup + software.
  • PS4 was primarily used for PSVR but got so tired of the cords and poor tracking of the Move controllers (mostly Beatsaber) I picked up an Oculus cheap.
  • Every damn time I turned on the PS4 I had to download a 75 GB system update and then a 25 GB software update. I want to play now, not next week.
 
My PS5 accounts for the majority of my gaming time this year. Elden Ring and Gran Turismo are massive for me, not to mention the huge backlog of PlayStation content I've got because I skipped out on PS4 last gen. My PS5 has basically saved the year for me, gaming-wise, because Nintendo has put out very little that interests me so far, and it isn't going to get any better in the second half of the year.
 
Soul Skater said:
It’s almost like shutting down studios, focusing exclusively on AAA games and putting out like two or three first party games in an entire calendar year was a terrible idea

Sony had a good thing going and their management decided to get stupid.
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This.

I swear, ever since Jim Ryan became president and CEO things have gone downhill. The obsession with Western AAA "blockbuster" titles, and the ignoring of Japanese games was always a really stupid idea.

Red Monster said:
My PS5 accounts for the majority of my gaming time this year. Elden Ring and Gran Turismo are massive for me, not to mention the huge backlog of PlayStation content I've got because I skipped out on PS4 last gen. My PS5 has basically saved the year for me, gaming-wise, because Nintendo has put out very little that interests me so far, and it isn't going to get any better in the second half of the year.
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Gotta agree with this too. I love my PS5, but it is mostly 3rd parties like Elden Ring which I play on it. Sony's exclusive PS5 lineup has been quite mediocre for me. Nintendo on the other hand peaked in 2017 with BOTW & Mario Odyssey, but since then I've been quite unimpressed with Nintendo's first party lineup. Besides Smash, and FE, it feels like the years tends to be quite sparse when it comes to exciting Switch titles.
 
Red Monster said:
My PS5 accounts for the majority of my gaming time this year. Elden Ring and Gran Turismo are massive for me, not to mention the huge backlog of PlayStation content I've got because I skipped out on PS4 last gen. My PS5 has basically saved the year for me, gaming-wise, because Nintendo has put out very little that interests me so far, and it isn't going to get any better in the second half of the year.
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I've played my Switch consistently, but after Kirby, that's because I still check in on my AC island every day and because I replayed all of Mario Odyssey.

The Switch has had an awful year IMO, definitely it's worst in terms of software. But it's not exactly like any of the first-party publishers are firing on all cylinders.
 
I bought PS5 specifically as a Final Fantasy machine. Release more Final Fantasy games and I will play more!
 
Imma keep it real Sony, release Gravity Rush 3 and we're talking.
 
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DistractedByPixels said:
I've played my Switch consistently, but after Kirby, that's because I still check in on my AC island every day and because I replayed all of Mario Odyssey.

The Switch has had an awful year IMO, definitely it's worst in terms of software. But it's not exactly like any of the first-party publishers are firing on all cylinders.
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I would argue that 2022 has been one of the best years for Switch output.

So far:
2017 > 2019 = 2022 > 2021 > 2020 > 2018

Pokémon Legends, Kirby, Triangle Strategy, Live A Live, Fire Emblem Warriors, Nintendo Switch Sports, MH Rise Sunbreak, and Xenoblade 3 have all been good/great and there’s still Splatoon 3, Mario + Rabbids, Bayonetta 3, and Pokémon S/V to come. And that’s not even counting most third party stuff, which has been plentiful.
 
DistractedByPixels said:
The Switch has had an awful year IMO, definitely it's worst in terms of software. But it's not exactly like any of the first-party publishers are firing on all cylinders.
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What?
  • Pokémon Legends Arceus
  • Kirby and the Forgotten Land
  • Switch Sports
  • Fire Emblem Three Hopes
  • Mario Strikers
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 3
  • Live A Live
  • Triangle Strategy
  • 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
  • Digimon Survive
  • Klonoa Reverie
  • LEGO Star Wars Skywalker Saga
  • TMNT Shredder’s Revenge
  • AI The Somnium Files II: nIrvana Initiative
  • Neon White
  • Sonic Origins
This is literally off the top of my head, in what universe does this qualify as anything less than a great lineup, let alone “its worst year in terms of software”?
 
Phantom Thief said:
What?
  • Pokémon Legends Arceus
  • Kirby and the Forgotten Land
  • Switch Sports
  • Fire Emblem Three Hopes
  • Mario Strikers
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 3
  • Live A Live
  • Triangle Strategy
  • 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
  • Digimon Survive
  • Klonoa Reverie
  • LEGO Star Wars Skywalker Saga
  • TMNT Shredder’s Revenge
  • AI The Somnium Files II: nIrvana Initiative
  • Neon White
  • Sonic Origins
This is literally off the top of my head, in what universe does this qualify as anything less than a great lineup, let alone “its worst year in terms of software”?
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hmmm i see no third person cinematic action adventure game there so TRASH
 
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the_marmolade said:
Maybe they shouldnt of release 2 of there biggest titles next to Elden Ring that would of helped a lot.....
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Followed by releasing jack shit for for the following six months. And that first new releasing after six months is a $70 remake of a game that can already be played on that system.
 
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Blue Monty said:
Japan is a special case in most countries PS5 software numbers are decent, the issue has been the collapse of PS4 software sales. In Japan PS4 sales are also collapsing btw , PS is at risk of having single digit market share in 2022.
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Is it really a special case when the parties involved in it hand crafted the situation they are in for PS though
Zedlars said:
This.

I swear, ever since Jim Ryan became president and CEO things have gone downhill. The obsession with Western AAA "blockbuster" titles, and the ignoring of Japanese games was always a really stupid idea.
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Why blame only Jim Ryan. He’s not the one who decided to move HQ out of JP towards the tail end of the PS3 era. That’s when this whole “AAA or bust mentality started” along with “who cares about JP.”
Zedlars said:
Gotta agree with this too. I love my PS5, but it is mostly 3rd parties like Elden Ring which I play on it. Sony's exclusive PS5 lineup has been quite mediocre for me. Nintendo on the other hand peaked in 2017 with BOTW & Mario Odyssey, but since then I've been quite unimpressed with Nintendo's first party lineup. Besides Smash, and FE, it feels like the years tends to be quite sparse when it comes to exciting Switch titles.
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Personal opinions and all but the data we have shows that this is only a minority when talking about exciting Switch years.
 
Scrawnton said:
Followed by releasing jack shit for for the following six months. And that first new releasing after six months is a $70 remake of a game that can already be played on that system.
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I’m honestly still confused why they felt the need to remake TLoU. Kind of interested to see how buyers will take to it.
 
I figure a lot of this is just bouncing back to pre-COVID levels. I guess you can’t really tell a stockholder to just chill and get used to it though, gotta show and tell you are making a commitment.

I’ll share my Playstation playtime anecdote anyway. Don’t have a PS5, been having the hardest time tracking one. Admittedly I haven’t tried for a while, I stopped because I don’t really want to spend the effort watching availability everywhere. I totally stopped playing any new PS4 games because I don’t want to buy a game that can be played with better performance on PS5. Thing is, it’s been so long that I cooled a lot on the new console hype. I was staring at the chance of getting a PS5 bundle but just passed on it because I decided none of the games were truly enticing enough to take the plunge now. I have enough to play on Switch at the moment. We’ll see if anything changes soon. At the moment only FFXVI feels like a game I gotta play as soon as I can.
 
meatbag said:
I’m honestly still confused why they felt the need to remake TLoU. Kind of interested to see how buyers will take to it.
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I don't think it was at all necessary, but I'm still glad it's happening.

The upgraded graphics and animations look great. And it's also gonna have a lot more unlockables like different costumes and such, which will be fun for replays.

But I'm most excited that it's coming to PC.
 
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Phantom Thief said:
What?
  • Pokémon Legends Arceus
  • Kirby and the Forgotten Land
  • Switch Sports
  • Fire Emblem Three Hopes
  • Mario Strikers
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 3
  • Live A Live
  • Triangle Strategy
  • 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
  • Digimon Survive
  • Klonoa Reverie
  • LEGO Star Wars Skywalker Saga
  • TMNT Shredder’s Revenge
  • AI The Somnium Files II: nIrvana Initiative
  • Neon White
  • Sonic Origins
This is literally off the top of my head, in what universe does this qualify as anything less than a great lineup, let alone “its worst year in terms of software”?
Click to expand...
In a world where I don't like JRPGs.

Awful year for me, most of those games are non-starters.

"For me" being the key words.

2022 is easily the Switch's worst year as far as I am concerned. A couple of nice little third-party games, Kirby, and M+R sequel. This JRPG-heavy sort of lineup is why I didn't get a 3DS until a couple years ago.
 
The answer is clear Sony.

It's time to Release Ghost Hunter Remastered, we finished the last level this time edition, as a prelude to Ghost Hunter 2.
 
DistractedByPixels said:
In a world where I don't like JRPGs.

Awful year for me, most of those games are non-starters.

"For me" being the key words.

2022 is easily the Switch's worst year as far as I am concerned. A couple of nice little third-party games, Kirby, and M+R sequel. This JRPG-heavy sort of lineup is why I didn't get a 3DS until a couple years ago.
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maybe should have stuck that "for me" in your original post then rather than making a sweeping declaration
 
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