Sony expects it will continue to struggle to meet PS5 demand into 2022
"I don't think demand is calming down this year…"
The constrained supply of the PlayStation 5 will continue into 2022, Sony has warned.
The company's CFO, Hiroki Totoki, said Sony will struggle to meet demand even with a supply boost, Bloomberg reported (paywall).
As most know, the PS5 is incredibly hard to buy at the moment, with stock snapped up as soon as it goes on sale. The console has also been the focus of scalpers, who sell on for an inflated price. Retailers have struggled to prevent new consoles from getting into the hands of scalper groups, some of which sell membership to their services. The situation got so bad, the government issued an official response to an online petition calling for a change in the law to tackle console scalping.
Sony is having so much trouble meeting demand for the PS5 in part due to a global shortage in components such as semiconductors.
"I don't think demand is calming down this year and even if we secure a lot more devices and produce many more units of the PS5 next year, our supply wouldn't be able to catch up with demand," Totoki told investors, Bloomberg said.
"We have sold more than 100m units of the PlayStation 4 and considering our market share and reputation, I can't imagine demand dropping easily," he added.
Sony sold 7.8m PS5 consoles during its last financial year to 31st March. It wants to sell at least 14.8m during the current financial year - and if it manages it, the console will keep pace with its predecessor, the PlayStation 4, which has now shifted an incredible 115.9m units.
Sony isn't the only video game company affected by component shortages. Bloomberg reported Nintendo has warned production of the Nintendo Switch may also be affected.