Sony announced on Wednesday that it will not release any new major first-party PlayStation exclusives until early 2025, at the earliest. “Presently, major projects are in the development stage; however, there are no plans to launch any new significant franchise titles in the next fiscal year, such as God of War Ragnarök or Marvelʼs Spider-Man,” commented Sony President, Hiroki Totoki during the Q3 2023 financial results presentation. The 2024 fiscal year for Sony begins on April 1 and concludes on March 31, 2025.
Instead, the PlayStation division will concentrate on third-party software sales, which Totoki believes will progressively increase. Upcoming PS5 exclusives include Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, which will be available on February 29, and Konami’s Silent Hill 2 remake, which will also be released on PC later this year. Other awaited third-party titles include Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin.
The release date for the exclusive first-party game Wolverine is anticipated to be in 2026, according to leaked documents from a recent hack. “The sales of third-party software are predicted to increase consistently due to the expanding PS5 user base and high user engagement,” Totoki added. He is set to succeed Jim Ryan as Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO in April.
Addressing the extended interval between first-party flagship games, with the most recent Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 releasing in October 2023, Totoki observed potential for iterative improvements. He praised the creativity and vision of the first-party studios, but said, “In terms of business practices, there is scope for enhancement relating to financial management, production scheduling, and accountability.” He pledged to engage in ongoing discussions to establish the best path forward.
While the PS5 sales reached 8.2 million units in Q3 2023, it fell shorter than the predicted figures for that quarter. Consequently, the fiscal year projections for PS5 sales have been revised from 25 million units to 21 million units. The company also anticipates a gentle downwards trend to continue in the future. “In reference to the PS5 hardware, which will soon be five years old, we plan to balance sales and profits as we approach the latter half of the console cycle, which may result in a slow decrease in unit sales from the next fiscal year onward,” Totoki concluded.
