PS2 is still Sony’s best-selling console of all time. The last time Sony reported about the console’s sales the number was put at 155 million. However, in episode 481 of the Official PlayStation Podcast titled “Here’s To You, Jim”, we learned that the console’s sales numbers closed at 160 million.
Thursday, March 28, 2024, was Jim Ryan’s last day in office as the CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment as he is set to retire on April 1, 2024. Ryan was featured as a guest on the podcast where he made interesting revelations about the PlayStation brand spanning his almost three-decade career in the company.
During the podcasts, the hosts comprising senior director of content communications Sid Shuman, senior content communications specialist Kristen Zitani, and manager contend communications Brett Elston, asked Ryan what he associated with each of his decades at the company.
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For the 2000s, Ryan could not think of a bigger achievement than the PS2. “I would say 160 million, which is the number of PS2s that we sold,” Ryan said.
The only console that has come close to toppling that number is the Nintendo Switch. Earlier this year, Nintendo said the Switch has sold 139.36 million units. Believed to be in the final year of its lifespan, the Switch will have to sell at least 21 million more units to beat the record of PS2.
After spending almost 30 years in SIE, the company announced last September that Ryan has decided to retire from his role and the company in March 2024. In his statement explaining the reason for his decision, Ryan said juggling between North America and Europe had taken a toll on him.
“After 30 years, I have made the decision to retire from SIE in March 2024,” he said. “I’ve relished the opportunity to have a job I love in a very special company, working with great people and incredible partners. But I’ve found it increasingly difficult to reconcile living in Europe and working in North America.”
“I will leave having been privileged to work on products that have touched millions of lives across the world; PlayStation will always be part of my life, and I feel more optimistic than ever about the future of SIE. I want to thank Yoshida-san for placing so much trust in me and being an incredibly sensitive and supportive leader.”
Ryan believes PS5 can topple PS2’s record
During the discussion, Ryan was asked to share his thoughts on the position of PlayStation in the games market going forward. In response, Ryan said the brand was strongly positioned and teased that the PS5 console is on track to become Sony’s most successful console yet.
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“I’d say right now we’re at the top of our game,” Ryan said. “We’ve been really clear and really consistent about what we stand for great consoles, great console gaming experience, and great games. I would say that right now we’re at the top of our game.”
“PlayStation 5 is well on track to be our most successful console ever across multiple vectors and I think the games and the gaming experiences you see on PlayStation 5, lead by PlayStation Studios, are the best that we’ve ever seen.”
One thing that Ryan failed to explain was the vectors for measuring PS5’s success. In terms of numbers, PS5 has sold over 50 million units which is still a long shot from the number of PS2 consoles shipped by the company.
During the company’s last financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, Sony’s gaming division reported that PS5 sales hit 54.7 million. The company had set the target of shipping 25 million PS5s for the financial year ending March 2024.
However, after the first three quarters, they were only able to sell 16.4 million which forced the company to lower its PS5 sales forecast to 21 million, 4 million behind the initial target. It is strongly rumored that PS5 Pro will launch in the holidays of 2024.
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“The number of games we’ve published so far on PlayStation 5 at this point in the cycle, way exceeds anything that we’ve ever done before,” Ryan said.
The numbers and vectors mentioned by Ryan are fuzzy. However, it is important to mention that when it comes to engagement and player retention, the PS5 is well on track to topple the metrics set by the PS4.
