Sony to Double PlayStation 5 Production to Meet Surge in Demand

Sony Corp. has revealed it is roughly doubling the production of its PlayStation 5 to 10 million in response to a surge in demand attributed to the effects  Covid-19 pandemic boosting.

Sony reportedly briefed its assembly partners and suppliers that it is aggressively increasing orders for its next-generation console. Reports say Sony had previously aimed to produce 5 million to 6 million PS5 units by the end of March 2021.

A Sony spokesman declined to comment, however, Japanese business daily Nikkei earlier reported Sony’s planned production boost of the game machine, which is scheduled to release this fall.

There are concerns about a second wave of coronavirus infections which expectedly will keep people at home, as governments around the world closely monitor efforts to reopen their economies. Sony’s revised expectation is that this ongoing situation will stir additional demand for the PlayStation 5 console, whose official debut captivated the gaming community.

Despite the boost in production, Sony may not be able to fill shelves with enough units in the coming year-end holiday due to shipping constraints, the people said. A large proportion of Sony’s consoles are made in China and sent out via sea around the world. It takes months for shipments to travel from China to the U.S. and Europe via ocean lines, and Nintendo Co. earlier this year had trouble refilling stock of its popular Switch console for this reason.

Sony had earlier informed suppliers that it would require 10 million units of the DualSense controller for the new PlayStation machine by March next year. Production of the new controller is also being increased to match the console’s new output plan.

The company began mass production in June and, under the latest plan, expects to assemble 5 million units by the end of September and another 5 million between October and December. A large portion of the latter tranche would turn into stock for 2021 due to the logistical delay.