As expected, Sony is not yet ready to talk shop when it comes to the PlayStation 5‘s price point. Many may recall that PS4’s price was not revealed until E3 2013, a mere five months ahead of the console’s launch. Why is this pattern continuing into the next generation? It seems rather simple–Competition. Because of other platforms, a recent statement implies, Sony wants to keep its cards close to its chest in case adjustments are in order.
Chief Financial Officer Hiroki Totoki addressed this and more during the company’s earnings report for FY2019’s third quarter. Totoki was asked to detail how console prices are decided, prompting him to explain what factors Sony can and cannot control. Labor costs, for example, does count as something Sony fully controls. Due to circumstances beyond company influence, the reveal of pricing and the promotion that follows is an entirely different story.
According to VG247, Totoki shared the following insight through a translator,
First, we must absolutely control the labor cost, the personnel cost. We will definitely control that. How much can we prepare initially, we will work on the production and the sales and we will have to prepare the right volume. What is not very clear or visible is–because we are competing in this space–it’s very difficult to discuss anything about the price at this point. Depending upon the price level, we may have to determine the promotion that we are going to deploy and how much costs we are prepared to pay. So it’s a question of balance.
With Sony’s decision to skip E3 for the second year in a row, there’s an air of mystery surrounding when and where the PS5 price will receive an official unveiling. Many, of course, are still holding out hope for a reveal of the actual console this month.
[Source via VG247]
