Sony is making 59% more money per active PlayStation user now than they were during the PS4 era, according to new data compiled by Niko Partners Director of Research and Insights Daniel Ahmad, who covers the video game market with a focus on the Asia and MENA markets. It translates to $230 more spent by the average active PlayStation user now than in 2018.
Responding to a new interview with Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki duscussing why the company isn’t as aggressive in marketing the PS5 these days, Ahmad took to X to post, “I did the math on this and average annual revenue per PlayStation active user has grown from 23,580 Yen in FY2018 to 37,485 Yen in FY2025, which is around $230. [It’s] an increase of 59% over that period. Although growth was flat over the past year or two.”
For more detail and context, he added, “FY19 includes through to March 2020, with Covid leading to a boost in active users. Main drivers here are the transition to higher PS+ tiers, higher spending on game software and DLC / MTX, higher prices for hardware, etc.” In short, Ahmad seems to suggest that Sony doesn’t need to spend as much money to aggressively market the PS5, in the face of its and every console’s rising prices, because it’s making more money off of the users it already has.
Sony remains under fire from many gamers who are unsatisfied with the company’s new physical games policy, which will see the company stop offering disc-based copies of games in January of 2028. Microsoft, meanwhile, is offering its Xbox players the chance to digitize their disc-based Xbox games as its next-gen Project Helix console/PC hybrid device approaches.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, and a co-host of Next-Gen Console Watch. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
