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PlayStation Physical Sales Drop to Just 3% of Sony’s Revenue

A recent report has shocked the gaming industry, revealing that physical game sales for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 account for just 3% of Sony’s total revenue over the past fiscal year. This sharp decline underscores the growing dominance of digital downloads as the preferred way for players to purchase games.

According to the report, Sony generated around $31.5 billion in total revenue (approximately 997 billion baht). Out of that, physical games for PS4 and PS5 contributed only $945 million (around 29.9 billion baht). While this figure is not insignificant, it is relatively small compared to Sony’s overall revenue.

However, the 3% share may not fully reflect the situation. Sony’s accounting records physical sales differently: First-party titles (developed by Sony) are counted at full revenue, while third-party games (developed by other publishers) are recorded only as royalty fees, which are lower. In contrast, digital sales count at full revenue regardless of whether they are first-party or third-party, making disc sales appear smaller than they actually are.

Looking at unit sales instead, physical discs still make up around 24% of all games sold, translating to roughly 73 million discs in the 12 months leading up to March 31. Although this percentage continues to decline year after year, physical sales have not completely disappeared from the market.

Adding to the discussion, rumors about the upcoming PS6 suggest Sony may adopt a detachable disc drive. This would give players the flexibility to choose between physical discs or digital downloads, showing that Sony still values physical media even as digital distribution becomes the dominant format.

This shift marks a major transformation in gaming behavior, reflecting the convenience and accessibility of digital downloads while raising questions about the future of physical media in the PlayStation ecosystem.

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