Sony may delay the release of several PlayStation 5 first-party titles
Recently, Sony disclosed its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2023, demonstrating an increase in the sales of PlayStation 4/5 game software, reaching a total of 56.5 million units, a year-on-year growth of 19.7%. This surge is almost entirely attributed to third-party game software, while first-party game sales have remained largely stable, hovering around the 6.6 million unit mark.
According to Wccftech‘s report, Sony stated in this financial announcement that the revenue has remained consistent with the figures forecasted in April of this year. The primary reason for this consistency is the growth in third-party game sales and anticipated cost reductions. However, most of the additional revenue was offset by a decline in hardware profit for the PlayStation 5 console. Regional promotional activities and changes in sales channel combinations have affected earnings, and alterations in the release dates of certain first-party games have likewise impacted revenue.
Although Sony did not directly mention any delays, it can be inferred from the changes in dates affecting revenue that several first-party games have been postponed. These were originally planned for fiscal 2023, though the specific games that have been affected remain to be confirmed. Speculation includes delays to the multiplayer mode of “The Last of Us,” the enigmatic “Stellar Blade,” and the rumored remastered version of “Twisted Metal.”
Earlier, Naughty Dog issued a statement indicating that they were re-evaluating the entire direction of the multiplayer mode for “The Last of Us,” retaining only a small team, with many developers redeployed to other projects, stating, “We realized that more time is needed to ensure the game’s optimal performance.” “Stellar Blade,” which first appeared in 2021 with an initial planned release for 2023, has not been mentioned in Sony’s recent activities. There have been rumors that a remastered version of “Twisted Metal” is underway, managed by Firesprite, but no specific official information has been released.
