Sony Delays PS6 Decision, Cuts Bungie Losses, Pushes AI Tools

Sony has officially acknowledged that the PlayStation 6 launch date remains undecided, with memory chip shortages and AI-driven demand creating pricing uncertainty for the next-generation console.

During an investor-focused Q&A meeting, Sony confirmed it sold 1.5 million PS5 units in the fourth quarter ending March 31, 2026, down from 2.8 million the same quarter the previous year. That represents the worst quarter for PS5 sales since the console launched in November 2020. The company is now near the 100 million sold mark at 93.7 million, though it continues to lag behind the PS4 lifecycle trajectory.

Memory prices remain elevated due to surging AI infrastructure demand, creating a ripple effect across gaming hardware. Hiroki Totoki, Sony Group president and CEO, stated that various factors are impacting console costs, but insisted Sony has enough materials to see it through the rest of 2026. The company is still working out what to do with PS6 because memory prices are expected to remain high during the 2027 financial year.

Perhaps the most revealing detail: Sony's profit forecast incorporates investment in its "next-generation platform," which we expect to be PS6. The company is considering changing business models for upcoming hardware, though specifics remain vague. Some analysts suggest Sony may push the launch beyond 2028 and lengthen the PS5 lifecycle. IGN's coverage of the earnings call notes that Sony's projections for PS5 in the current financial year are based on the volume of memory it can secure at "reasonable prices."

Meanwhile, Sony Interactive Entertainment president Hideaki Nishino outlined the company's AI strategy during the same financial presentation. Teams at Naughty Dog and San Diego Studio are already using AI tech that generates facial animations based on performance capture data. Another innovation allows developers to convert video footage of hair into 3D models, down to the strands.

Nishino described a tool called Mockingbird that quickly animates 3D facial models based on performance capture. Animation work that would have taken hours can now be completed in a fraction of a second (frankly, this is the kind of efficiency gain that actually matters in production pipelines). The tool has been adopted by multiple studios, including on released titles like Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.

On the platform side, AI-powered payment routing tools have generated over $700 million in incremental revenue over the past few years by directing transactions more efficiently across payment networks. Sony is building on this foundation with machine-learning projects aimed at personalization—systems that will eventually recommend not just the next game a player might enjoy, but the next gameplay moment, subscription, accessory, or merchandise tied to their interests.

PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, available on the PS5 Pro, uses machine learning to deliver 4K visuals at high frame rates. Titles such as Saros and Ghost of Yotei benefit from the technology. When you're sitting on your couch watching a game render at 4K with minimal input lag, the difference between PSSR and standard upscaling becomes immediately apparent in texture clarity and frame stability.

Nishino emphasized that human creativity must remain at the center of AI applications. "The vision, the design, and the emotional impact of our games will always come from the talent of our studios and performers," he said. "AI is meant to augment their capabilities, not to replace them." This stance addresses growing player concerns about generative AI in asset creation.

The financial picture gets murkier with Bungie. Sony spent $3.6 billion on Bungie back in 2022, and the investment is not paying off as expected. In its 2025 fiscal year report, Sony recorded approximately $765 million in impairment losses against the developer. The figure is included in Sony's fourth quarter earnings, which ended on March 31, about four weeks after Bungie's Marathon launched.

Marathon, Bungie's hardcore extraction shooter, has struggled to find the success that the developer's Destiny games achieved. On Steam, Marathon peaked at 77,358 concurrent players in its first month and is now hovering between 4,000 and 17,000 concurrent players. Destiny 2 peaked at 316,651 players on Steam at its height. Despite largely positive reviews from critics and players, Marathon hasn't found a large, mainstream audience.

Lin Tao, Sony CFO and corporate executive officer, acknowledged the game's performance in official comments. "Player reception to Marathon is strong, with the game receiving a Metacritic score of 82 and more than 90% of the player reviews on Steam being positive," Tao said. "Engagement metrics such as retention also remain at a high level." Sony plans to support Marathon with more content drops and improvements to the overall experience.

Polygon's analysis of the earnings report notes that Sony's gaming business forecasts annual sales down 6% to 4.42 trillion yen due to lower hardware sales. However, the company expects gaming profit to rise 30% due to higher first-party software sales and the absence of a huge impairment loss it recorded against Bungie.

The memory shortage situation adds another layer of complexity. Sony's imaging and sensing segment is seeing its high-end customer base hold firm even as the volume-driven low-end smartphone market feels the squeeze. Geopolitical uncertainty adds further pressure, with unrest in the Middle East and shifting tariff pressures creating new challenges across market partnerships and supply chains.

Sony's gaming business remains profitable despite these headwinds. Digital software, add-on content, and network services are by far Sony's most profitable divisions compared to sales driven by areas like music, movies, and TV. Those divisions are growing, with sales for digital software and network services higher overall in 2025 compared to 2024.

The question now is whether Sony can capitalize on GTA 6's November launch by having enough consoles to meet demand. The game launches on console only and is expected to drive a surge of hardware sales despite recent price increases. Sony raised the price of the PS5 by $100 in the U.S. earlier this year, making it even more expensive to buy a new console.

Whether users actually pay for the PS6 when it arrives remains the real question. Memory prices, AI infrastructure demand, and geopolitical instability all point to a more expensive next generation. The company's willingness to experiment with new business models suggests Sony knows the traditional console pricing model may not survive the current market conditions intact.

Artūras Malašauskas is an AI Systems Integrator with 20+ years of production-grade web engineering experience. He has designed, shipped, and scaled enterprise Python/PHP systems for logistics, SaaS, and public-sector clients. For the past year, he has focused exclusively on AI integrations: deploying open-source LLMs, building generative media pipelines (image, audio, video), and engineering multi-agent workflows for real production environments. His standard: reproducibility, security, cost-efficient inference—no vaporware. He documents and evaluates emerging AI tooling, separating verified capabilities from marketing noise. Technical editor at: muza-ai.eu, ai-verslas.lt, ai-naujinos.lt Connect on LinkedIn