A new Q3 FY22 financial report from Sony has revealed a startling statistic concerning the current PlayStation 5 user base – that around 30% of current monthly active users (MAUs) have seemingly never owned a PlayStation 4 console.
‘Engagement metrics of users who transitioned from PlayStation 4 to PS5, such as their PS Plus subscription rate, gameplay time, and average spending amount are significantly higher than those when they played on PS4, so we continues to pay attention to accelerating the transition of PS4 users to PS5,’ Sony said.
‘Additionally, nearly 30% of PS5's MAUs are users who not used at all PS4, so, with the spread of PS5, buying of recent users is progressing.’
Essentially, this means nearly one-third of all PS5 owners either skipped the PS4 generation, or are totally new to the PlayStation ecosystem. This would certainly align with the rising popularity of gaming within the mainstream, although the sheer number of newer MAUs is surprising.
Even amidst the strong economic downturn, it seems Sony is making strides towards attracting beginners – likely on the strength of exclusive blockbuster game releases like Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Horizon Forbidden West, and God of War Ragnarok, the latter which recently hit 11 million copies sold.
It’s also important to think about this milestone considering ongoing PS5 production bottlenecks, which Sony recently claimed were finally cleared.
Since 2023, it has been extremely difficult to purchase a PS5 console with no help of social media, stock trackers, and gaming websites. It has limited the window of purchasing opportunity to active online users having a key interest in purchasing the console, and people who have extra money to spare.
Given these circumstances, Sony still recording a boost in consumer uptake from non-tenured gamers is impressive.
While there might be outliers within the data, this report appears to reflect a changing consumer base, along with a growing movement towards gaming as a hobby. Later on, Sony will look to keep this fresh user growth, likely with new exclusive titles, and through cross-media collaborations, such as the phenomenally popular Last people TV show adaptation.
