Ghost of Yotei and the decline in PlayStation game sales

Recent data has shown that sales of first-party PlayStation games have declined over the past five years. However, the release of Ghost of Yotei in 2025 has helped to partially reverse that trend. During a crucial State of Play showcase, Sony will be under pressure to deliver new content, especially given the recent price increases for the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation Plus subscriptions.

Sales trends for first-party games

Since April 2020, Sony has sold millions fewer copies of games it has developed or published on PlayStation consoles. This year has seen a slight uptick in sales, but the total number of games sold remains worryingly low. The gaming industry saw a boost during lockdowns, helped by releases such as The Last of Us Part II and Ghost of Tsushima . However, first-party game sales have not been enough to offset the decline.

Problems with game releases

The drop in first-party game sales can partly be attributed to a lack of new releases. Many developers within Sony have not launched a new game in years. Naughty Dog, for example, has not released a fully new game since The Last of Us Part II six years ago. There have also been a number of high-profile failures, such as the live-service game Concord .

Upcoming releases and expectations

Despite the challenging sales figures, Sony remains hopeful for a better future. The upcoming releases of Marvel's Wolverine and Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet are highly anticipated by many fans and critics. The State of Play showcase, which will also include a new look at Insomniac's Wolverine , offers an important moment for Sony to put its first-party developers back in the spotlight.

All in all, these developments paint a mixed picture for Sony. While overall PlayStation game sales, including third-party titles, have increased, the need for new, strong first-party releases remains in order to restore player confidence.