Sony released its latest financial earnings report today, and it included a wealth of information about first-party game sales expectations for PlayStation, PS5 console sales, and information about how the company might deal with U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Overall, Sony expects its operating profit to rise .3% to $8.7 billion in the financial year ending in March 2025, an estimate that includes a roughly $684 million hit expected from Trump’s ongoing trade war with various countries, as reported by Reuters.
It’s important to note, though, that the numbers of this financial report were locked in before the U.S.’ recent trade deal with China that happened this week, which could change expectations depending on the effects of this deal. According to The Verge, Sony chief financial officer Lin Tao told investors the company is considering “passing on” the cost of tariffs to consumers. Though the PS5 recently received price hikes in Europe, Australia, and elsewhere, Tao didn’t specifically mention the PS5 or anything about its cost when it comes to passing on the cost of tariffs.
As for why the PS5 didn’t receive a price hike in the U.S. similar to that of other countries, Sony explained the company has stockpiled consoles in the U.S., adding that the console can be produced in the U.S., too, which would mitigate tariff costs associated with manufacturing the console outside of the country.
On the subject of PS5, Sony sold 2.8 million units from January through March, which marks a roughly 37% drop compared to this quarter in 2024. According to The Verge, it shipped 18.5 million PS5s from March 2024 to March this year, bringing lifetime total shipments to roughly 77 million. Total operating profit at PlayStation fell 12.5% during this quarter, but thanks to higher sales expectations due to upcoming first-party releases, Sony expects PlayStation profits to increase by 16% this fiscal year.
Those higher sales expectations are likely due to upcoming first-party releases like Bungie’s Marathon on September 23 and Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Yōtei on October 2. PlayStation is also publishing Kojima Productions’ upcoming sequel, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, which launches June 26.
For more, head to Game Informer’s Death Stranding 2: On The Beach hub for a preview of our 30 hours with the game, a feature on its interactive encyclopedia, a breakdown of the members of Drawbridge, and more.
