Sony Group Corp.'s PlayStation 5 unit sales in the US jumped 22% in September as consumers prepared for the imminent debut of Grand Theft Auto VI, according to new data from Circana.
Revenue from that hardware rose by 43%, making the Tokyo-based company the highest earner among console makers, the researchers found. That was accelerated by price increases over the past year and the popularity of the beefed-up PS5 Pro. Priced at $900, that upgraded console has now either sold out or can be found in limited supply across online stores globally, including Amazon, Best Buy, MediaMarkt and Yodobashi Camera.
Available only on Sony's consoles and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox devices, GTA 6 is widely expected to sell millions of copies and reset records for the games industry upon its release on Nov. 19. Sony has the far more popular console ecosystem and the PS5 Pro is seen as the best way to experience the new game and its high-fidelity graphics before it reaches PCs at a later date.
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Anticipation was stoked by an exclusive Netflix mini movie from the game that topped the streaming service's charts in September, and Twitch chief Dan Clancy has even cautioned game studios to expect all attention this holiday season to be soaked up by GTA 6.
For Sony, GTA 6 is firing up sales of a console platform that's nearly six years old and approaching the time for a successor. Like industry peers, the company is challenged by elevated memory prices, which have cut into profit margins for every new system produced. Circana found unit sales of Kyoto-based Nintendo Co.'s much newer Switch 2 console slipped 14% this September compared to the same month last year, after it too implemented a price increase.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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