PS5 Dominates Black Friday With 62% of Console Sales
▼ Summary
– Black Friday week boosted UK console sales significantly, with Sony capturing 62% of all console sales.
– Overall console revenue rose 14% and unit sales increased 7% compared to the same period last year.
– The PS5 Pro had its best week outside of launch, while Xbox Series consoles accounted for only 10% of sales.
– Sales of accessories, joypads, and headsets declined sharply, dropping between 17% and 28%.
– A former PlayStation executive noted that Japanese studios cannot replicate the fast production pace of Chinese studios like miHoYo due to different work practices and legal constraints.
The holiday shopping season delivered a significant boost for console sales in the UK, with Sony’s PlayStation 5 emerging as the clear leader during Black Friday week. According to market data, the PS5 captured a commanding 62 percent share of all console units sold. This surge contributed to an overall 14 percent increase in hardware revenue and a 7 percent rise in unit sales compared to the same period last year. The performance highlights the continued strong consumer demand for Sony’s latest generation platform during key promotional events.
While the Nintendo Switch secured a respectable 23 percent of the market, the spotlight was firmly on Sony. The PS5 Pro model, in particular, experienced its strongest sales week since its initial launch, indicating high demand for the premium hardware. In contrast, Microsoft’s Xbox Series S and X consoles accounted for a combined 10 percent of sales. Analysts note that while Xbox consoles saw discounts of approximately 8 percent, PS5 Slim models were offered with far deeper price cuts, ranging from 21 to 34 percent depending on the specific bundle, which likely drove their disproportionate market share.
The picture for gaming accessories was less positive. Overall accessory sales declined by 17 percent year-over-year. Sales of joypads and headsets fell even more sharply, dropping by 27 and 28 percent respectively. This suggests that while consumers were eager to purchase new consoles, they were less inclined to invest in additional peripherals during the sales period. Even within the virtual reality segment, which saw the Meta Quest 3 and PS5 VR headsets have their best sales weeks of the year, the overall market for VR headsets still contracted by around 7 percent.
In a separate industry discussion, former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida commented on differing development practices between regions. He observed that Japanese game studios often face challenges in matching the production speed of some major Chinese developers, such as miHoYo, the creator of Genshin Impact. Yoshida pointed to differences in team scale and work culture, noting that the approach taken by these studios would be difficult to replicate in Japan, not only from a production standpoint but also due to potential legal considerations surrounding labor practices. His remarks underscore the evolving and competitive global landscape of game development, where production methodologies can vary significantly.
(Source: Euro Gamer)
