Yesterday, a job listing erroneously indicated that the PlayStation 5 would release in October 2020. This was quickly clarified by Sony but one has to wonder where the company’s next-gen console is on track or not. The lack of information from Sony over the past few months definitely hasn’t helped.
However, even with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic still affecting life around the world, the console is still on schedule. Sony stated in its recent financial report that “Although factors such as employees working from home and restrictions on international travel have presented some challenges in regards to part of the testing process and the qualification of production lines, development is progressing with the launch of the console scheduled for the 2020 holiday season.” It also noted that there haven’t been major problems in terms of the software development pipeline for its partners’ studios or first-party developers.
As far as the PS4 goes, there has been a “slight impact” on hardware production stemming from issues with the component supply chain. Still, in the short-term, the current inventory is working for demand and sales are “trending well”. Sony also noted that game sales from the PlayStation Network along with subscriber counts for PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now have increased significantly.
Though Sony hasn’t stated when we can expect more information on the PS5, it has had some announcements here and there. It recently rebranded Sony Worldwide Studios to PlayStation Studios and revealed new opening animation for the same. An 18-minute long State of Play focused on Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima will also be taking place tomorrow, offering a closer look at the combat, exploration and so on en route to launch.