Sony is moving away from aggressive console marketing as it navigates the ongoing industry-wide memory component crisis. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki suggested that the company’s current position in the PlayStation 5 lifecycle allows it to prioritize revenue from its existing user base rather than focusing on new hardware acquisition.
"It is lucky," Totoki said regarding the timing of the component shortages. "We’re at the latter half of the lifecycle for the console, which means we don’t need to aggressively sell the console today. Rather than that, we’re focusing on the current user base."
Focus on Monetization
Totoki emphasized that Sony is concentrating on how to effectively monetize its 125 million monthly active users. While the executive grouped this figure under the PlayStation umbrella, it remains unclear what percentage of these users are active PlayStation Plus subscribers, as Sony has not publicly disclosed the current subscriber count. Previous figures for the service have historically hovered between 40 and 50 million members.
Industry Impact and Future Hardware
The comments come as the hardware industry continues to grapple with rising component costs. While Totoki characterized the current situation as manageable for the PS5, the broader industry climate remains strained. Analysts have noted that these persistent supply and cost pressures pose significant challenges for future hardware, such as the eventual launch of a successor console, where maintaining an accessible price point may become increasingly difficult.
As of July 2026, the PlayStation 5 has surpassed 95 million units sold, though year-on-year sales have seen a 36 percent decline as the console matures.