Sony lifts its games forecast as PS Plus users reach 127 million
Sony has raised its full-year outlook for the games business. The second quarter was carried by subscriptions and software, while console sales slipped.
Services carry the quarter
Network services revenue rose 19.7% to ¥218.3 billion ($1.37 billion). Monthly active PS Plus users reached 127 million, up from 119 million a year earlier. Sony calls that a record high for September.
Game software revenue grew 12.5% to ¥708.5 billion ($4.4 billion). Digital software and add-on content accounted for ¥643.9 billion ($4 billion) of it. Physical software rose 21.7% to ¥43.1 billion ($272 million).
Full game software unit sales reached 88.2 million in the period. Of those, 8.2 million were first-party.
Wolverine and last year's one-time loss
Insomniac's Marvel's Wolverine launched on September 15 and has sold 2.4 million units. Sony says it helped lift the results of the whole segment.
The operating income comparison is affected by last year's loss. Last year's period carried a one-time loss of ¥49.8 billion, which included a $765 million impairment tied to Bungie. Operating income for the segment came to ¥220 billion ($1.3 billion), up 83%. With those factors set aside, Sony puts the rise at 29%.
Fewer consoles sold
PS5 unit sales fell from four million in the second quarter of 2025 to 2.6 million. Lifetime sales now stand at 93.7 million. Hardware revenue declined 4.8% to ¥219.7 billion ($1.38 billion).
Memory prices are the cost pressure here. CFO Lin Tao said Sony was "able to offset the rise in memory prices" through adjustments to promotions and pricing, plus further cost reduction. For next fiscal year, Sony says it has aligned with suppliers on the quantity of memory needed for its projected hardware sales.
The raised forecast
For the full fiscal year, Sony lifted its games segment sales forecast by 6% to ¥4.8 trillion ($30.3 billion). The operating income forecast also rose by 6%, to ¥700 billion ($4.4 billion). Tao pointed to third-party software, network services sales and lower costs.
Sony says it will keep working on user engagement and monetisation with strong titles and an expanded service, and is preparing for its next-generation platform.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz