On the eve of the launch of the PlayStation 4, Sony has announced that PlayStation 3 sales have reached a new milestone.
After being available for 7 years, the PS3 has crossed the 80 million unit mark worldwide. Not too shabby, especially considering high profile games such as Gran Turismo 6 are still coming in the near future.
Read on for the press release.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today announced that cumulative sales of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) computer entertainment system has reached a milestone of 80 million units*1 worldwide as of November 2, 2013. Now in its seventh year, the PS3 system has demonstrated continued growth and momentum.
The PS3 system has delivered high quality entertainment experiences since its launch and has continuously evolved through system software updates and by adding new features such as upscaling PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games as well as DVD, DLNA client function and 3D stereoscopic games support. In February 2013, SCE released the PS3 system in new “Azurite Blue” and “Garnet Red” colors. In August 2013, the price of the PS3 with 12GB flash memory was reduced in Europe and it was introduced in North America. By offering a variety of products to meet various needs and lifestyles, the PS3 system has been well received by a wide range of gamers.
The PS3 system continues to gain strong support from 3rd party developers and publishers worldwide with the cumulative number of software titles released for the PS3 system reaching 4,332 worldwide*2. Among them are smash hit title, The Last of Us, which sold 3.4 million units in less than three weeks when it launched in June 2013*3, and the critically acclaimed title, Journey, that won six awards at the 13th annual Game Developers Choice Awards and became the first video game in Grammy Award history to be nominated for Best Score Soundtrack. More than 300 software titles are to be released from third party developers and publishers as well as from SCE Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS) this holiday season*4 globally, including Gran Turismo 6 (GT6), the latest installment to the wildly popular Gran Turismo franchise that has sold more than 70 million copies worldwide*5.
Furthermore, exciting blockbuster titles such as Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar Games, Inc), Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag (Ubisoft Entertainment.), Batman: Arkham Origins (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment) and NBA 2K14(2K Games) have also gained high praise.
When the PS3 system was first released in November 2006, SCE also launched PSN, an online multiplayer gaming and digital entertainment service, which now operates in 59 countries around the world with more than 150 million cumulative registered accounts*6. Launched alongside the PS3 system and in conjunction with PSN, PlayStation Store (PS Store) offers a variety of downloadable digital content where PS3 system owners can select from a global catalog of more than 222,000 digital content options, including 72,000 game content*7.
In addition, the PlayStation Plus (PS Plus) membership service became available in June 2010, providing access to exclusive discounts on PS Store, free games on PS platforms, demos and automatic system updates. The Instant Game Collection was added to PS Plus in North America and in Europe on June 2012, enabling PS Plus members to enjoy popular titles from third-party developers and publishers, as well as SCE WWS, at no extra cost. SCE has also continued to enrich the PS Plus service in other countries and regions. For example in Japan, more titles have been added on “Free Play”, a service similar to “Instant Game Collection”, giving Japanese PS Plus members access to more than 150 games. *8
Since its introduction in September 2010, the PlayStation Move motion controller has enabled users to play games intuitively while enhancing the interactive gameplay experience. Utilizing the power of the motion sensor, Wonderbook, a peripheral that delivers the evolution of storytelling through the Augmented Reality (AR) technology via PlayStation Eye, launched two titles globally in November 2012. Wonderbook: Book of Spells and Wonderbook: Diggs Nightcrawler*8 have been well received since their release. Exciting new titles such as Wonderbook: Book of Potions and Wonderbook: Walking With Dinosaurs will be released this holiday season*9 and SCE will introduce Wonderbook in Japan.
As the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system launches November 15, 2013 in North America and November 29, 2013 in Latin America and Europe, SCE will continue to expand the PlayStation ecosystem, which includes the continual support of gaming and digital entertainment content on PS3 systems.
*1 Sell-in number *2 As of September 30, 2013. Excluding download software titles. *3 As of July 3,2013 including both Blu-ray Disc? sell-in quantities and download version sales *4 Total number of both Blu-ray Disc? and download version that will be released from November 1 to December 31, 2013 in various regions. The title to be released will vary by regions. *5 As of the end of March, 2013 *6 As of September 19, 2013 *7 As of October 31, 2013 *8 As of November 6, 2013 *9 The launching of these titles in Japan and the other Asian regions is yet to be determined.