This week marks 30 years of PlayStation, no mean feat for a brand that transformed gaming. The story of Sony’s entry into the industry, while not universally known, is at least familiar; they were set to partner with Nintendo on a disc-based add-on for the Super Famicom before a last-minute split by the big N to go with Phillips that surprised even Sony, leading them to spin off their hardware plans into a standalone console. The original PlayStation was a hit, and whether in the console or handheld sphere, the company’s subsequent hardware has propelled them to the forefront of gaming.
There is a tall pedestal from which it can be understood why the company would take a moment to step back and wallow in their success. They’ve been nostalgic in celebrating their success with new PlayStation 5 models that use the aesthetic gray profiles of the original PS1. But a closer look reveals somewhat rocky foundations, and an existential success that its current high-flying PS5 sales numbers can’t ignore. The PlayStation brand may be 30 years old today, but what future does it have for the next 30 years? Because particularly in Japan, that question is becoming increasingly difficult to answer.
The original Playstation was a success both at home and abroad for Sony, a roaring triumph for the company’s risky jump into the games industry with new hardware at a time where established titans like Sega were facing newfound difficulties in the space. The company courted the big arcade players like Namco and Konami and brought them into fold with titles of their own, pushing 3D technology at a time of great interest. Having titles like Ridge Racer at launch helped propel long lines and sales over half a million units in six months, establishing Sony as a player in the space that would only grow.
At every step in the company’s early growth, it was buoyed by strong domestic support from creators and audiences alike. The PlayStation 2 was a behemoth success around the world, but with 24 million lifetime sales in Japan it was the most successful home console of all time for many years in the country. Yet it was an accomplishment driven by Japanese success stories. Remove Grand Theft Auto from the conversation and the hit games were all domestic, and major successes not just globally but on the company’s home turf to become synonymous with the era. These are titles from franchises like Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, Kingdom Hearts. It wasn’t just that PlayStation was popular in Japan, it was that Japanese gaming was the driving force for that.
This even extended to the company’s push into handheld gaming. The PSP was of intrigue internationally, but it was overwhelming in its Japanese success to the point its sales numbers sat just shy of 20 million in the country alone. While this would pale in comparison to the Nintendo DS, one of the overwhelming images summarizing video games in the era is one of groups of teenagers huddled around their PSP to play Monster Hunter together. The Playstation Vita was almost a non-event internationally, but at home it sold millions (albeit significantly less than its predecessor), and continued receiving support until just a few years ago, long after its discontinuation elsewhere.
It portrays strength. At least loyalty. Or does it?
For all the PlayStation 4 was a major success globally, selling over 120 million units, it sold less units than PlayStation 3 in Japan. Indeed, so far every piece of Sony hardware has sold worse than its predecessor in the country in either console and hardware spaces. Only in August, after almost 4 years on the market, was the current PlayStation 5 able to supercede the supposed failure of the Vita in lifetime sales in Japan, and this is still far behind its successors.
The games released on the current PS5 suggest a far different picture to previous generations, also. Sony has closed many of its domestic Japanese developers like Japan Studio, while the console is severely lacking in exclusive titles made only for the hardware. This is less of an issue considering the relative non-existence of Xbox in the country, but it is worth noting when PC gaming is growing exponentially and bringing core players to the space, particularly those interested in livestreaming and VTubers and seeking out the best hardware.
For less serious players, the Nintendo Switch has been a revelation. Capturing the dedicated players with strong first party software, its hybrid nature makes it a natural successor to the phenomenon of people bringing the PSP and DS on the train even in an age of phones, while it has the family-friendly software and variety to please younger players.
More crucially, it’s cheap. A Nintendo Switch can be bought for as cheap as ¥21,978. It’s easier for younger audiences to get into Nintendo hardware today, whereas the future of Sony’s PlayStation is more difficult to picture. While the PlayStation 5 would be considered a success, it’s also increasingly priced out of Japanese budgets. Although the console launched at ¥49,800 for its disc-based version and slightly less for its disc-less variant, this has since increased by ¥30,000 as a result of cost increases and inflation. The PS5 Pro costs ¥119,800 in Japan, and that requires an external disc drive if you want to use discs in addition to this steep entry cost.
The result is an aging demographic and a lack of new players embracing or even thinking about PlayStation when it comes to modern gaming. A recent report from SHIBUYA109 Entertainment found that, for Gen Z, almost 95% played mobile gaming and 38.5% played games on Nintendo Switch. PlayStation was not featured in the top five, which rounded out with 33% on PC, 26% on tablets, and 12% on the long-since-discontinued Nintendo DS.
Which makes sense. A DS is cheap second-hand. You want the big Japanese games? Most are from Nintendo now. Otherwise, you can get them on PC or, if it’s not too taxing on the hardware, Nintendo Switch. You want Minecraft, Apex Legends, or Fortnite, each massive with Japanese players? They’re on just about everything, and free. Plus, it’s far less of a cost to entry when you can play free-to-play games on cheaper hardware or devices you already own, and even Microsoft’s Game Pass has seen renewed interest on non-Xbox hardware thanks to a courting of Japanese games and the ability to reach players where they are.
Why spend so much on hardware that, beyond an advert from Atarashii Gakko no Leaders, is doing nothing to appeal to a younger audience?
Sony has had a great 30 years, and deserves to celebrate its work in transforming the industry and finding such success over the last three decades. But its next 30 years, at least in its home country, are looking increasingly uncertain. How do you attract younger audiences when you’re less popular than decade-old discontinued hardware? How do you stop pricing yourself out of the budgets of many when hardware costs are increasing globally? Can that even be done?
Nostalgia for the past is not a bad thing, and anniversaries are times to look back. There’s a lot of good to look back on, too. But it’s also a time to look forward. How do you build on a legacy? For Sony, the answer is unclear.
