The coming months could be painful for PS5 owners because Sony’s flagship console isn’t set to get any new games for major existing franchises until March 2025 at the earliest. According to a new Sony earnings report, the tech giant is looking to shake up its strategy for releasing PlayStation 5 games, and the path ahead also means Sony is making revisions to its console sales goals, too.
Sony Group president Hiroki Totoki leads the latest earnings report, detailing that when it comes to new PS5 games, the company continues to “focus on producing high-quality works and developing live service games.” The pivot to live-service games can be seen with the recent release of Foamstars and Helldivers 2, as well as forthcoming PvP shooter, Concord. However, despite a slate of promising titles, Totoki says “while major projects are currently under development, we do not plan to release any new major existing franchise titles next fiscal year.”
The fiscal year runs from April 2024 until March 2025, leaving plenty of room for brand-new franchises to emerge, as this statement crucially singles out additions to “existing” properties. For example, that means something such as a Spider-Man 2 spin-off, like the rumored Venom game, won’t be arriving until after next March.
It also appears to stamp out any sequel hopes to PS4 and PS5 exclusives like Ghost of Tsushima, which was released in 2020. It’s a shame to hear this reduced effort on Sony’s sturdy library of franchises, but it does leave room for newcomers to take the spotlight.
Arrowhead Game Studios is currently doing just that with the aforementioned Helldivers 2, as the bug-squashing shooter is quickly becoming one of the best PS5 games. With a strong vision for post-launch updates, and less so on monetizing its experience, Helldivers 2 stands to have a fruitful future ahead of it.
Nevertheless, a reduced outlook on reputable PS5 franchises is factored in a decrease in console sales too, it seems. “Regarding the PlayStation 5 hardware […] we aim to optimize sales with a greater emphasis on balance with profits, so we anticipate a gradual decline in unit sales from next fiscal year onwards,” adds Totoki.
Sony’s previous goal to hit 25 million units sold, per its earnings call last April, was off track and has now been revised. Following the recent Sony State of Play, 2025 is already cementing itself as an important year for PS5 owners, with games like Death Stranding 2 and GTA 6 confirmed for next year. Although, depending on how the upcoming Xbox business update pans out, we could see these Xbox exclusive games arrive on PS5 too.