KUALA LUMPUR: They say luck plays a crucial role in whether businesses survive beyond their shelf life. By that measure, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) may count itself fortunate.
SIE recently announced its latest earnings for its console and software portfolio. While the company sold roughly the same number of PlayStation 5 units as the previous year, its US$3.6 billion acquisition of Bungie appears increasingly questionable in hindsight.
The company recorded US$565 million in impairment losses linked to Bungie, the studio behind Destiny 2 and the upcoming Marathon reboot. The fourth-quarter report made it increasingly clear that Sony may have overestimated Bungie’s long-term value.
Once viewed as a potential lifeline for both companies, Bungie’s Marathon reboot is now struggling to sustain momentum. The game peaked at 77,358 concurrent players during its first month, but weekly Steam numbers have since fallen to between 4,000 and 17,000 players.
It is unlikely PlayStation figures are performing significantly better despite generally positive reviews.
For comparison, another title in a similar genre, Arc Raiders, is currently drawing around 60,000 players.
Sony’s troubles extend beyond Bungie. The company has reportedly scrapped several live-service projects before they left pre-production, although Fairgame$ is still believed to be in development.
Coupled with soaring development costs for first-party titles, a relatively thin slate of PlayStation 5 exclusives and recent price hikes in Southeast Asia, the warning signs are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Most companies facing such pressures would already be implementing major corrective measures. But Sony has benefited from one key advantage: Xbox’s prolonged struggles, which have effectively turned PlayStation into the default platform for many gamers.
Sony Interactive Entertainment recently described its upcoming PlayStation games lineup as “unbelievably positive”, though critics may view such statements as public relations damage control following the company’s financial setbacks and broader concerns.
The company also plans to allow third-party studios to make use of existing PlayStation intellectual properties for future projects.
Perhaps this is Sony’s attempt to maintain the value of exclusives without relying entirely on expensive triple-A productions whose budgets continue to spiral upward.
But luck rarely lasts forever. Unless Sony’s leadership undergoes significant changes and adopts a clearer long-term strategy, the company may eventually find itself running out of second chances.
Short Beats
Ex-Bandai Namco and Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada is now running his own game studio VS Studio, with backing by SNK Corporation.
The Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth series from Bandai Namco has surpassed three million units in sales.
The Legend of Zelda live-action film release date has moved up to April 30, 2027.
A real-life treasure hunt based on Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is starting later in 2026, with the prize valued at US$500,000.
According to renowned informant Dusk Golem, the next Resident Evil games will allegedly be the Resident Evil: Code Veronica remake in 2027, the Resident Evil Zero remake in 2028, and an all-new Resident Evil sequel starring Claire Redfield in 2029.
Games Out This Week
Clockwork Ambrosia is a 2D action-adventure steampunk fantasy title from Realmsoft and Omega Intertainment. Play as Iris, who is stranded on a lush island filled with technological wonders and must find her way out while uncovering its secrets using guns, modding skills and traversal gadgets.
Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hope is a strategy roguelite title from Alt Del and Dotemu based on the 2003 hit sci-fi television series. Players command the last surviving human colony ship while fleeing the Cylons in search of Earth.
Call of the Elder Gods is a first-person adventure title from Out of the Blue Games and publisher Kwalee. Players journey across the globe uncovering ancient horrors in a Lovecraftian sequel to Call of the Sea.
Subnautica 2 is an underwater survival adventure set on a new alien world from Unknown Worlds Entertainment. Players can explore its depths alone or in four-player co-op. The game is currently in Early Access for PC.
Recommended Viewing
YouTube content creator Yahtzee has released a short documentary about Atari versus Nintendo in the late 1980s. While Nintendo tightly controlled games released on the NES, Atari found controversial ways to bypass restrictions.