The PlayStation 4 has just entered the final phase of its life cycle, according to Sony Interactive Entertainment John Kodera. The news comes from The WallStreet Journal tech reporter
Takashi Mochizuki, as reported by
IGN.
According to Mochizuki, Kodera told analysts and investors that the PlayStation 4 life cycle was coming to an end, and that as of March 2021 they will be "crouching down once" to grow further in the future. Kodera also mentions that their strategy moving forward is to franchise successful, and already-existing IPs, as well as refreshing them. This is the course of action they're choosing to take instead of introducing new IPs, which is definitely a safe move but also a needed one if they plan to move onto the PlayStation 5.
Regarding the PlayStation 4's final phase of its life cycle, Kodera says that recurring revenue coming from membership services - such as PlayStation Network and PlayStation Now - will help cushion the negative impact caused by console sales, which are expected to dwindle.
It's worth reiterating that, according to Kodera, the PlayStation 4 may have entered its final phase but it's a few years away from losing all support. If we go by the date of March 2021, the PS4 still has some life in it and first-party support will be even stronger than before, which is always good news for customers. Let's not forget that the PlayStation 3 was still getting games in 2017 - after 10 years of being on the market - and the PlayStation 4 had already come out in 2013. So it is safe to assume that even if the PlayStation 5 comes out before March of 2021, the PlayStation 4 will still get some support before it stops production.