Key Notes
- PlayStation’s operating profit rose 83% to ¥220.1 billion, helped by software and services growth and the absence of last year’s Bungie-related charges.
- Marvel’s Wolverine reached 2.4 million consumer sales by November 4, a later reporting date than the September quarter-end.
- PS5 shipments fell to 2.6 million, but Sony raised its full-year gaming revenue and operating-profit forecasts.
PlayStation’s operating profit rose 83% to ¥220.1 billion in Sony’s fiscal second quarter, while Marvel’s Wolverine reached 2.4 million copies sold. The results show stronger software and services performance alongside a sharp decline in PS5 shipments.
Sony’s earnings presentation covers July 1 through September 30, 2026. Gaming revenue increased 9% to ¥1.2085 trillion, although foreign exchange and a weaker profit comparison from last year explain a substantial part of the headline growth.
Profit Rebounds From Last Year’s Charges
Sony attributed the profit increase partly to the absence of two costs recorded a year earlier: ¥31.5 billion in impairment losses on Bungie assets and ¥18.3 billion from correcting previously capitalized development costs.
Those charges totaled ¥49.8 billion, roughly half the ¥99.7 billion year-on-year increase in operating profit. Higher network-services and first-party software sales also contributed, according to Sony.
| Metric | FY2025 Q2 | FY2026 Q2 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming revenue | ¥1.1132tn | ¥1.2085tn |
| Operating profit | ¥120.4bn | ¥220.1bn |
| PS5 shipments | 4.0m | 2.6m |
Exchange rates added ¥73 billion to the ¥95.3 billion revenue increase. That makes the reported 9% rise a different measure from growth driven solely by customers buying more games or services.
Wolverine Passes 2.4 Million Sales
Sony’s supplemental data puts Marvel’s Wolverine at 2.4 million copies sold through to customers as of November 4. That milestone extends beyond the September quarter-end and should be read separately from the three-month financial results.
Insomniac’s game launched on PS5 on September 15. Its features overview described an original Logan story, close-range claw combat, customizable abilities and challenges, alongside New Game Plus and mission replay.
Across PS4 and PS5, quarterly full-game sales reached 88.2 million units, up from 80.3 million. First-party titles accounted for 8.2 million, compared with 6.3 million a year earlier. Digital downloads represented 78% of full-game unit sales, up from 72%.
PlayStation’s monthly active-user estimate reached 127 million at the end of September, versus 119 million a year earlier. This measures unique accounts playing games or using online services during the quarter’s final month.
PS5 Shipments Fall as Sony Raises Its Outlook
PS5 shipments fell 35% year on year to 2.6 million units. These are shipments into distribution, rather than purchases by consumers. Sony’s revised comparison puts the previous September quarter at 4 million units, and lifetime shipments now stand at 97.9 million.
Despite the hardware decline, Sony raised its full-year gaming operating-profit forecast from ¥660 billion to ¥700 billion. It lifted expected revenue from ¥4.54 trillion to ¥4.83 trillion, citing stronger third-party software sales, with cost improvements and network services also supporting profit.
First-party scheduling remains a constraint: Sony lists a title’s changed release date as a negative factor in its forecast revision without naming that game. We reported separately on God of War Laufey’s move to May 20, 2027, placing that PS5 release beyond Sony’s fiscal year ending March 31.
