PS5 is at 97.9 million sold and Sony's crediting GTA 6 for the forecast bump

Sony dropped its quarterly numbers and the PS5 is sitting at 97.9 million lifetime after moving 2.6 million units in the quarter that ended September 30. That's the console heading into year six, and it's still tracking slightly behind where the PS4 was at the same point. The difference is the money. Digital revenue and an active user base that peaked at 127 million in September have the gaming division looking a lot healthier than the raw hardware comparison suggests.

What's funny is this is happening while the console keeps getting more expensive. Memory prices went through the roof during the component shortage and Sony never really walked the price back. They say they've been talking to manufacturers to lock down enough memory for the next fiscal year and expect hardware to stay profitable anyway.

and yeah, they're openly pointing at GTA 6

Sony raised its forecast for first and third party software, and GTA 6 is named right there in the reasoning. The game is projected at almost 8 million copies sold before it even launches on November 19, with the PS5 split dominating Xbox by a wide margin. Sony also takes 30% off the top through platform fees, so every copy that moves on PlayStation is basically free margin for them.

I keep coming back to that 8 million number. That's pre-launch. For a game that isn't out yet. Sony's forecast bump isn't a guess, it's a spreadsheet with Rockstar's logo on it.

next console talk, barely

They also mentioned the next PlayStation, saying development is making "solid progress" and they'll announce it at an "appropriate time." Which is corporate for "we're not telling you anything." Fine by me. I've got a PS5 that needs to survive one more month and a 212GB download to fit on it before I care about whatever comes after.

Cheaper manufacturing plus a monster software slate is a pretty good spot to be in. Just don't ask me to buy a second console for the living room at current prices.

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Source: GameSpot · Curated content.