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In a momentous update, Jim Ryan, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), has revealed that PlayStation 2 sales have soared past a staggering 160 million units globally. This revelation came during a recent episode of the Official PlayStation Podcast, where Ryan delved into his tenure at Sony and discussed the company's forward trajectory.
Reflecting on the 2000s era, Ryan emphatically stated, "The 2000s? That would be, I would say, 160 million, which is the number of PS2s that we sold. A high watermark."
This announcement comes as a revision to previous sales figures, with Sony's second home console initially reported to have reached 159 million units sold. Despite Sony's official declaration of 150 million units in 2011, production continued for an additional two years. Analyst Daniel Ahmad from Niko Partners later estimated sales had climbed to 155.1 million by March 2012.
"In the fiscal year ending March 2013, a total of 16.5 million PS3 & PS2 units were shipped," Ahmad noted in 2018. "PS2 was still being shipped during this period so the info we're missing is how many units were PS2 and how many were PS3. Using PS3's 80m sell-in announcements as a guide you can work backwards and ultimately work out that PS2 [sales from March 2012 through the end of its production] must have been close to 4m."
The PlayStation 2's dominance in the realm of best-selling consoles remains unparalleled, with its 160 million units sold overshadowing its closest contenders. The Nintendo DS trails behind with 154.02 million units sold, followed by the Nintendo Switch at 139.36 million units. While the Switch continues to thrive as Nintendo's flagship console, speculation abounds regarding its future sales trajectory.
As Jim Ryan bids farewell to PlayStation after a remarkable 30-year tenure, slated to officially depart SIE on April 1, a new era awaits with Hiroki Totoki set to assume the role of interim CEO. Ryan's departure has sparked tributes from industry luminaries like Xbox's Phil Spencer, underscoring the profound impact of his legacy.
For deeper insights into Jim Ryan's reflections on Sony's gaming legacy, explore his curated list of favorite PlayStation games, where he singles out Grand Theft Auto 3 as his top pick from the PlayStation 2 era.