Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan says that Sony is taking action to increase PlayStation 5 production. Since the console's release in November, supply has been limited due to various effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has caused numerous lockdowns around the world, which has limited supply of production parts and increased demand of home electronics because of people staying home. The situation has resulted in production problems for companies like Microsoft and Apple.
PlayStation's plan for increased production of the PS5 includes investing in the development of first-party software, acquisitions, and requesting increased production from manufacturers. Although Sony recently closed the company's oldest first-party development studio, Sony Japan, Ryan says the company is still committed to the Japanese market and will continue to strengthen ties with Japanese developers. Ryan goes on to explain the issues with PS5 production and shares the company's plan moving forward.
“There are several reasons why PS5 was hard to come by,” Ryan says. “Supply under the new coronavirus was very complicated, and we had to limit distribution to online. The supply and demand for semiconductors is also tight worldwide. We are asking our suppliers to allow us to increase production, which will flow into the market this year.”
The semiconductor shortage is a persisting issue that has affected technology production worldwide. Due to the pandemic, semiconductor fabrication plants were shut down, leading to a very limited supply of semiconductors, a part necessary for the production of many electronics including the PlayStation 5. Action is being taken to amend the shortage, as US President Biden recently signed an executive order launching an investigation into semiconductor supply.
Without enough semiconductors, increased production of the PS5 may be a difficult task for Sony. Leading computer chip manufacturers Intel and TSMC have said the shortage could last well into 2022. The belief that the shortage may last until 2022 has also been stated by global electronics manufacturer Foxconn and technology company Nvidia.
However, Ryan explains other actions Sony is taking to increase production. Not only is Sony requesting more production from manufacturers, but the company is also increasing production in-house with acquisitions, mergers, and first-party IPs. Sony recently acquired Insomniac Games, the studio developing PlayStation titles such as Ratchet and Clank, and Marvel's Spider-Man. Insomniac Games released Spider-Man: Miles Morales on November 12, 2020, and has PS5-exclusive Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart scheduled to release on June 11 of this year.
Sony is among many tech companies trying to take action to counter the semiconductor shortage. Microsoft has also been busy with acquisitions and first-party software. Microsoft acquired Bethesda and has recently expanded features and content in Xbox Game Pass, adding Amazon Alexa support for the service as well as adding new titles to the large library like MLB The Show 21 and Outriders.
