Although Sony is yet to officially confirm the PS5 India restock date, it appears that the company is preparing for it. Currently, it is deciding which stores will receive the console and deciding allocations per store, which are expected to change due to new lockdown restrictions in multiple states thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Furthermore, fresh PS5 stocks have landed in the country earlier this month, the company told its distributors as it plans to roll them out across the country. All of this suggests we should see, as IGN India reported earlier, an April 2021 restock for the PS5.
While it seems that the PS5 India restock quantity would be substantial, it is still unknown what is the exact quantity of consoles that have landed in India or if the PS5 Digital Edition is present in this recent shipment. For reference the PS5 launch had fewer than 4,000 units all of which were the disc version. IGN India reached out to Sony a week ago and received no comment at time of publishing. We will update this story if we hear from the company.
PS5 India Game Prices Are a Bigger Problem
However this won’t solve all of Sony’s problems in India. At the moment it’s having severe issues with selling its games. Multiple distributors for Sony across the nation speaking to IGN India on condition of anonymity fearing retribution feel that simply having the PS5 in stock isn’t enough.
“At best retail will be able to use it [PS5 restocks] to bundle games like Sackboy and Demon’s Souls that didn’t sell,” says one distributor. “Outside of Miles Morales, no other Sony[-published] game on PS5 has sold well.”
Both games had a grand total of 2,520 units imported into the country, which is less than the 2,700 units of Spider-Man: Miles Morales brought into the country.
Assuming import data and consumer behaviour to be accurate, it would be reflective of Sony’s strategic decisions to focus solely on big budget AAA exclusives — something which played out following the closure of Japan Studio and recently resurfaced with Bloomberg’s report on what to expect next from the company.
Xbox Game Pass Awareness a Deterrent to PS5 Game Sales
At an India level though, there are other concerns. Two upcoming PS5 exclusives, Returnal and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart have had all-India pre-order numbers in double digits. While one would think this is pretty abysmal by Sony’s standards, it comes as no surprise to those speaking to IGN India.
“The price is too high, no one is going to spend Rs. 5,000 for either game as they’re not established IP in India and when gamers can share accounts or buy PS4 games cheaper — that’s where they’re spending their money,” claims a Sony executive speaking to IGN India on condition of anonymity.
Throw in a resurgent Microsoft thanks to Xbox Series S and X availability as well as strong Xbox Game Pass communication at retail in the absence of PS4 and PS5 stocks from Sony, and the company’s worries have compounded.
Down But Not Out
According to several sources at Sony familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing private information, the company is mulling an India release for PS Now after plans were put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic last year.
In addition to this, it’s looking at ways to increase awareness around its Play At Home and PlayStation Plus Collection for PS5 initiatives. Perhaps these would suffice until Sony rolls out its real Xbox Game Pass competitor internationally and in India.
How Sony turns things around in India, particularly after launching with less than 4,000 PS5 consoles back in February, will be of interest. During the PS4 era, the company brought in 4,500 units at launch that sold out in two weeks though gamers had to wait nearly three months for a restock.
With PS5s selling out in mere minutes of pre-orders going live much to the anger of gamers in the country, how it manages a second wave of consoles two months after it first launched — and subsequent game sales could determine how this generation of gaming shapes up in India.
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