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Sony Ships 6.4 Million PlayStation 4 Units In Third Quarter Of FY15
Sony is still struggling financially, though its third quarter of the 2015 fiscal year brought some better news. The company has revised its loss projections for the year ending March 31, 2015, significantly, thought it will still end in the red.
In October, Sony projected a net loss of ¥230 billion ($1.96 billion). As of now, the expectation is that the company will suffer ¥170 billion in losses ($1.45 billion).
Sony notes that PlayStation 4 shipments were a big part of the improvement, with 6.4 million units headed to retail between October 1 and December 31, putting life-to-date shipments at 27.4 million (Correction: 19.9 million). An additional 1.1 million PlayStation 3 units were shipped worldwide, with Vita and PlayStation TV shipments totaling only 1.4 million.
Software sales are up, too. In the third quarter, Sony shipped ¥147 billion ($1.27 billion) worth of games up from ¥128 billion ($1.09 billion) during the same period last year. PlayStation Network sales doubled during the quarter compared to last year, representing ¥100 billion ($851.98 million) in revenue.
Sony is writing off ¥6.2 billion ($52.8 million) related to the sell-off of Sony Online Entertainment announced earlier this week. The company also noted that it spent $15 million investigating the Sony Pictures hack that took place in December.
Sony has struggled to return to profitability, spinning off its computer segment and losing in the mobile phone arena, too. Last year, the company pegged its hopes on gaming, and that seems to be paying off.
[Source: Sony]
Our Take
Gaming will certainly help Sony buoy its finances, but its not enough to save the company. Even the gaming division isn’t completely isolated from cost-saving measures (as seen by the closures of studios last year). The ship needs to be righted across the board, while gaming is allowed to continue moving forward.
Unfortunately, the Vita and PlayStation TV continue to struggle. It wouldn’t surprise me if Sony abandons the handheld market after the Vita is put out to pasture.
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