It`s the beginning of the end for the PlayStation 4, it seems. Today during Sony`s Corporate Strategy Meeting, PlayStation boss John Kodera said the PS4 is entering the end of its lifecycle. While this could have a negative impact on Sony`s gaming division overall, it probably won`t because revenue from subscription services such as PlayStation Plus may help offset the decline in hardware sales, Wall Street Journal reporter Takashi Mochizuki quoted Kodera as saying. Importantly, Sony is not discontinuing the PS4 now or anytime soon, of course.The PS4 launched in November 2013, so it makes sense that the console would be entering the final stages of its lifecycle now given historical trends of consoles. The system has sold more than 79 million units by Sony`s latest count, which puts it just below the PS3 which reached 80 million units in 2013.Sony`s Game & Network Services segment, which houses the PlayStation business, is expected to remain a juggernaut for Sony, with PSN now hitting 80 million monthly active users (which is up from 70 million this time last year). Additionally, Sony said it will look to add more PS Plus subscribers going forward, which will help Sony make more money on a regular basis. Additionally, Sony said it wants to create more first-party exclusives, while it`s also looking at `harnessing growth opportunities` in the area of `add-on content.`Overall, Sony predicted a downturn in profit for the Game & Network Services division for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021. For that year, Sony expects its Game & Network Services unit to bring in between 130 billion and 170 billion yen, which compares to 190 billion yen for the current fiscal year.Intriguingly, Kodera also said during the meeting that the period covering now through March 2021 would be a time when PlayStation will `crouch down once` to stand taller in the future. It`s not immediately clear what he meant by this, however, but there is already speculation that a PlayStation 5 co ...
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