Sony has raised its financial forecast for its gaming business, with the upcoming launch of Grand Theft Auto 6 putting the spotlight on PlayStation's performance. According to the company's latest financial report, Sony has increased its full-year sales forecast for its Game & Network Services business by 6%. The revised estimate now stands at 4.83 trillion yen, up from the earlier forecast of 4.54 trillion yen. The company has also increased its operating profit forecast for the segment from 660 billion yen to 700 billion yen, representing a rise of around 6%. Additionally, Sony has lifted its net profit forecast for the year ending March 2027 to a record 1.33 trillion yen, reflecting strong confidence in its gaming division performance.
The PS5 Pro is experiencing unprecedented demand, with major US retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Target, GameStop, and PlayStation Direct listing the console as sold out at its retail price. Former executive Nikita Bier reports searching for the console for two weeks without success. Sony raised the PS5 Pro price by $200 since April, with most resellers now selling the console at even higher prices. Refurbished and third-party units are appearing for $1,399 to more than $1,600, significantly above the retail price. In Japan, scalpers forced Sony to introduce a 60-hour play rule for Japanese PS5 Pro buyers to combat supply issues.
Although Sony has not directly named Grand Theft Auto 6 as the reason behind the improved forecast, the upcoming Rockstar Games release is an important title to watch. The game is scheduled to launch on 19 November 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S. With pre-downloads opening on November 10, players need at least 212GB of free storage on their PS5 to download the game. Sony has been closely involved in the game's PlayStation marketing, with PlayStation announcing its partnership with Rockstar Games in June, highlighting the PS5 as the platform where the game will offer its best experience. The launch is expected to be one of the biggest gaming events of the year, with Take-Two Interactive heavily dependent on the success of GTA 6.
Sony's gaming business continues to perform well despite hardware supply constraints, with the company's stock rallying 7% this week on the back of strong demand and hype surrounding GTA 6. However, investors remained cautious on Friday, with shares giving back part of their earlier gains. The Game & Network Services segment recorded sales of 1.21 trillion yen during the July-September quarter, an increase of 9% compared with the same period last year. Operating income rose by 83% to 220.1 billion yen, with Sony attributing the improved outlook mainly to higher sales of non-first-party game software titles, better cost management and increased revenue from network services.
