Ghost of Yotei is selling worse than Tsushima – and that's exactly PlayStation's plan

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Ghost of Yotei is selling worse than Tsushima – and that's exactly PlayStation's plan.

5.4 million copies sold versus 7 million – that sounds like a clear defeat for Ghost of Yotei. Sucker Punch's new PS5 exclusive is selling significantly worse than its predecessor Ghost of Tsushima in the same post-launch window, according to new estimates from analytics firm Aline Analytics. But the corresponding revenue figure tells a different story – and it's exactly that one that's apparently drawing applause at PlayStation.

Because on revenue, the two titles are almost neck and neck: Yotei comes in at an estimated $407 million in revenue, while Tsushima had brought in $418 million in the same window. That's only around 3 percent less revenue for a game that found 22 percent fewer buyers. Calculated per buyer, Yotei actually yielded 26 percent more than Tsushima. For you, this first of all means: the PS5 game from one of Sony's studios isn't in economic free fall – things get interesting when you look at how this effect comes about.

The price makes the difference

The main reason is obvious. Yotei launched at €79.99, while Tsushima back then went for €69.99 – and according to Areajugones, Tsushima had its price cut within less than three months of release. So anyone buying Yotei today pays significantly more on average, and that margin flows straight through to Sony.

Add to that a second factor that gets lost in the pure unit numbers: Yotei is a PS5 exclusive, and at the time of its launch there were around 10 million fewer PS5 consoles in circulation than PS4 consoles at the time of Tsushima's release. So the game is playing with a significantly smaller potential buyer base – and still delivering almost identical revenue.

PlayStation's math works out

That's exactly the reading the Spanish gaming portal Areajugones draws from the data. According to that, Sony is pursuing a strategy that puts revenue per user above everything else – including the sales numbers themselves. The group accepts fewer buyers, as long as each one of them leaves behind more money. The Aline Analytics estimates suggest this math is currently working out.

What this concretely changes for you

Areajugones sees this as the opening move of a series of decisions all pointing in the same direction: fewer discounts on Sony's own games, possible price hikes on services like PS Plus to further boost per-user profitability, and a clear push toward digital sales instead of physical discs. The latter against the backdrop that PlayStation has announced its exit from the disc business starting in 2028 – even if some disc buyers were to leave Sony, the margin advantage would, according to Areajugones, remain positive.

Concretely for your next purchase, this means you'll likely have to wait longer for bargains on new Sony titles. Tsushima had been discounted within less than three months of release – this pace doesn't have to be the benchmark under the new direction.