PlayStation drives Sony's Q2 2017 revenues up to $18.25bn
Game and Network Services division saw sales more than double on 2016, PS4 shipments up to 67.5m units
Sony Corporation has released its latest financials results, and it's clear the PlayStation business is still the major driver behind the firm's success.
The company reported sales and operating revenues of ¥2,062.5bn ($18.25bn) for the three months ended September 30th, 2017, up 22.1% when compared to the same period last year. Operating income more than quadrupled - up 364% year-on-year to ¥204.2bn ($1.8bn).
When broken down into the company's various segments, the Game and Network Services division - which, naturally, encompasses all things PlayStation - was by far and away the biggest sector at Sony.
Sales were reported as ¥443.2bn ($3.92bn), more than double the ¥319.9bn ($2.82bn) achieved in Q2 FY2016. Operating income also saw a decent year-on-year rise of 35.8%, up from ¥19bn ($168m) to ¥54.8bn ($484.7m).
The nearest Sony segment was Home Entertainment and Sound, which reported sales of ¥300.9bn ($2.6bn). The same was true in the same quarter last year, where the games division also led the way. Interestingly, the mobile segment was the only division to make a loss in Q2 FY2017.
The firm also reported shipments of 4.2m PS4 units during the quarter, bringing the total number of consoles either at retail or in players' hands up to 67.5m. Sony forecasts shipments of 19m by the end of the financial year which, if sold, will bring the PlayStation 4's install base up to 79m.
Sony didn't name specific successes in terms of individual games titles, but attributed much of its financial boost to "the significant contribution of PS4 software sales, including sales through the network", as well as increased hardware sales.
It's a safe bet major third party releases played their part in this quarter, with the PlayStation-exclusive Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy still performing well in July, while the release of Destiny 2 and FIFA would also have provided a surge in sales. The latter two sold more on PS4 than Xbox One, as do most third-party titles thanks to the PlayStation's larger install base.
Sony also had its own releases during this quarter - most notably, the hotly anticipated Uncharted: Lost Legacy follow-up to last year's Uncharted 4.
Looking at results for the first half of the financial year, the Game and Network Services segment reported sales of ¥781.3bn ($6.9bn) - an increase of 131% compared to the same six months in 2016. Operating income saw a small lift, up 9.5% to ¥72.5bn ($641.3m).
Sony Corporation's sales and operating revenue for H1 FY2017 were reported as ¥3,920.6bn ($34.7bn), up 18.7% year-on-year. Operating income more than tripled to ¥361.8bn ($3.2bn).
Following this quarter's strong performance, the company has revised its forecasts from August, increasing expected sales for the games division from ¥1,980bn ($17.5bn) to ¥2,000bn ($17.7bn). However, operating income remains flat at ¥180bn ($1.6bn).