Data from Game File has revealed that PlayStation first-party game sales have declined for five years straight, although the release of Ghost of Yotei resulted in a brief spike after it launched in October last year.
According to the data, PlayStation software sold less than half the number of titles from first-party studios in 2024 in comparison to 2020, although was obviously a major year as the PS5 not only released, but we also saw the launch of The Last of Us: Part II and Ghost of Tsushima. This prolific period was highlighted in Sony’s annual financial results, which note the impact of key titles such as Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Demon’s Souls, and more, but notes how things have slowed following the launch of PS5.
A number of key first-party studios have not yet released any new games, including Naughty Dog and Haven Studios. While the former did work on The Last of Us Part I, this was an updated version of an existing game; it’s currently working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, which is a new IP. In addition, Media Molecule’s last shipped title was in February 2020 in the shape of Dreams for the PS4.
Also an issue is the swelling costs of game development and the fact blockbuster games simply take longer to make nowadays, not to mention the fact 2020 saw restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw a major boost in game sales as people remained at home.
One of the next major first-party games from the PlayStation camp is of course Marvel’s Wolverine, which will be showcased later today during the latest State of Play broadcast. Haven Studios’ Fairgame$ is heavily rumoured to appear during the event, although there’s chatter it may now called Break In.