Sony had a rough year financially, with more losses expected ahead due to restructuring and operating losses associated with selling off portions of the business. The PlayStation 4, however, is already turning a profit for the company.
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Everyone knew sales for the gaming console have been good, but it's already paid off its costs according to Sony President and CEO Kazuo Hirai. In an address for a corporate meeting, Hirai explained the financial situation, and that the PS4 was profitable on a hardware unit basis. Here's the relevant quotes from the letter:
"Following its introduction in North America in November 2013, in 5 months, PS4 has launched in 72 countries and regions achieving cumulative sell-through of 7 million units as of April 6," Hirai stated. "It's been a hugely successful launch, but the key to the long term success of the platform lies in how solidly we can continue to grow the installed base.
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"In terms of game titles for PS4, as of April 13, 47 titles had been launched with a total of 20.5 million units being sold via retailers and over the network on the PlayStation Store. By extracting the best creativity from all of our partners in the game development community, PS4 has dramatically expanded the possibilities of game play.
"From a profitability perspective, PS4 is also already contributing profit on a hardware unit basis, establishing a very different business framework from that of previous platform businesses."
The numbers are all very positive for the PS4, perhaps one of the only bright spots in Sony's financial outlook at the moment. Hirai stated that he is disappointed the company has not completed its electronics turn around and expects a further net loss of 50 billion yen.