PS5 Reportedly Hands Forza Horizon 5 an Additional 5 Million Sales

In this case, I believe Microsoft made the smart decision, they knew us playstation gamers will splash the money to purchase their games.

Great news for all 3 parties involved. MS make money, Sony make money and PS owners get to play Forza. Its a win win win scenario.

Further proof MS should just get out of the hardware business and focus on games. They mostly do those very right.

I mean, it sorta seems like they’re doing so ANYWAY, really. Can’t deny they make good games, and I’d love to see Horizon 5 also come to Switch 2.

Hopefully Horizon 6 has cross-save/progression baked in, so I can bring my progress over from XBox (where I’ll be playing it courtesy of the last 3 month gamepass card I’m holding onto) when I buy 6 for PS5.

So basically Playstation will become Microsofts main platform going forward.

And that right there is why they have gone multi plat.

Out of interest, do we know how many it sold on Xbox since release?

While I am sure it sold well, Alinea Analytics are as unreliable as they come, and I have even seen reports they use user reviews and an "algorithm" to get there numbers. I would not trust there numbers at all

@AndroidBango According to official sources it has sold over 1M and according to third party sites (pinch of salt) it's over 2.2M.

@Oram77 Blimey, selling over double the amount on PS5 in just under a year, than in over five years on Xbox, is quite striking - even taking Game Pass into account.

@AndroidBango probs not alot it's on gamepass

It's a shame that we won't get FH6 on the same launch day as the Xbox version.

Impressive numbers on their own made even more impressive by the fact non-Kart arcade racers have had a tough time of it in recent years.

Not shocking its a fantastic game and other then The Crew Motorspot there isn't much like it on PS5.

@dskatter Both Sony and Microsoft should get out the hardware business. It costs them billions and if they both just focussed that money on games the world would be better.

I own an Xbox and am able to play all 5 Forza Horizon games. It genuinely does annoy me that non Xbox gamers can't access them all.

@SMJ "Both Sony and Microsoft should get out the hardware business"

Huh?

@SMJ …Sony and Nintendo are the dominant console makers with MS trailing a fairly distant third at this point.

Why would Sony get out of the console market? They’re actually selling consoles.

@dskatter mans just trying to justify his constant comments about there not being another PS console and praying it comes true 😂

@dskatter Well they are seemingly getting out of the 'Console' business and returning back to their PC platform - but whether they get out of the Hardware business completely, I don't think that will happen 'soon'

25yrs ago, MS were only making games for their Windows platform on PC but Gaming PC's were not affordable to the Mainstream so MS had to enter the Console space to sell their games to a mainstream audience, to make DirectX an integral part of Gaming (hence X-Box as it is DirectX in a Box).

Now, 25yrs later, you can play modern PC games on a Handheld 'Switch' or PC at 'Console' like settings/performance and of course Hardware Price. PC's are much more 'mainstream' and Direct X is well established. Therefore, the reason the Xbox existed in the first place is no longer relevant and in fact for the past 'decade' (yes decade as MS decided to merge their 'Console and PC' platforms and rebrand their Gaming division as 'Xbox' to include PC & Cloud as well), their Console has been 'optional' - one of a variety of choices to play/access Xbox first Party games/services inc Game Pass. If you own a PC, you don't need to buy an Xbox anymore or miss out on Halo, Gears, Forza etc.

Therefore, I think MS are more likely to return to their PC roots, get out of the 'Console' Hardware business, but may well offer their own 'PC' Hardware - like they do with their Surface PC range despite Asus, Lenovo, MSi etc also making similar hardware. They'll still have their OWN platforms on PC/Cloud so it won't be like Sega giving up on Dreamcast to become a 3rd Party Publisher only...

@dskatter Because the future of gaming isn't about selling plastic boxes. It's all about the games.

@Oram77 Selling hardware doesn't make Sony or Microsoft money. Games, subscriptions and DLC do.

@SMJ PureXbox whines about Sony fans on their site but then you have people like this guy on every article.

@SMJ Selling hardware does make Sony money as the hardware is what leads users to PSN which generates the bulk of their revenue, the two things work hand in hand.

Also someone still has to make the "plastic boxes" as you refer to them, so who exactly does that if no one should be making them?

Nice, I’d buy a second copy if it came to switch 2.

Surely those numbers would encourage MS to delay the Xbox version and give the PS5 full priority

@ilyn Hardware itself doesn't make any money for Sony and Microsoft. They're sold at a loss.

And the people who will make the plastic boxes are the same people who make laptops.

@dskatter because Microsoft can't sell consoles and some people follow their words to obsessive degrees.

@SMJ welcome to the history of the gaming industry. Consoles are always sold at a loss but outside of being an Xbox purist, you've given no real reason as to why the industry should remove a massive part of it just because your preferred brand didn't take off.

Why would Sony lose potentially 100M or more customers because you say consoles are dying?

@Naughtyottsel92 I own many, many PlayStation consoles and can comment on this site as much as I want to. As I have since 2008.

@AndroidBango The question is how many of that 5 million are repeat buyer or new buyers tho. Cause I own FH5 on 3 different platforms… Steam, Xbox, and I purchased FH5 last week on PS5. My friends owns it on Steam cause I gifted him a copy the Christmas it came out, and he purchased it also last week to play on PS5 using his racing setup.

@SMJ You can but your comments are rife with Xbox purist attitude.

Again, you've given no valid reasons for a huge part of the industry dying out.

@katamariUK It would benefit Microsoft greatly to not do launch day releases. People will gladly double dip. Doing same launch day only benefits those only have PlayStation.

@Naughtyottsel92 First of all, I'm not an Xbox purist. Whatever that means.

Secondly, Sony would be far better off if they didn't sell hardware and instead allowed access to the PlayStation store on as many devices as possible.

Bespoke console hardware will be irrelevant after the PS6 generation. And everyone should be excited about that.

@SMJ

Yes, I'm sure a random user on a PlayStation site knows how to run their business better than them.

I on the other hand dread a future where the way I play video games goes obsolete but I forgot that whatever helps Spencer's brand is the right way to go.

Xbox fans are just something else.

@Naughtyottsel92 You have no objectivity at all do you? You are so blindly tied to a plastic box that you can't see that things would be better if we were all able to play any game we want without having to buy multiple systems.

Sony and Microsoft only want your money. The best and most cost effective way for them to do that will be to not make their own hardware.

@SMJ honestly 🙈.

@SMJ PS5 has sold at a profit since 2021. This was announced by Sony in an investors call and reported by multiple places.

Yeah, they base it on user reviews. Even so if you do the maths the 300m doesn't deduct Sonys cut. This may be the usual 30% but could be 20% if negotiated as some places say. Its still a healthy profit for MS but Sony benefits as well without development, advertising, etc... costs.

Good business for all involved really.

@Weebleman And have Sony made back all the money they spent on R&D, manufacturing, shipping and marketing? No. They haven't.

@GamingGod Honestly what?

Nice! Will pick this up at some point for sure, as it looks really fun. So glad we’re getting Microsoft’s games now. Roll on Halo!

@SMJ “ Hardware itself doesn't make any money for Sony and Microsoft. They're sold at a loss.”

Are you familiar with loss-leading?

@SMJ do you ever stop talking nonsense

@GamingGod 😂 I'm one of the few people anywhere near this site that actually has objectivity and doesn't kiss Sony's ***hole.

@ButterySmooth30FPS 😂 And are you familiar with the fact that loss leading is still losing? Making console hardware isn't profitable. Selling games and subscriptions is profitable.

@SMJ So you acknowledge that Sony makes all its money from Games, DLC microtransactions and subscriptions via PSN... And you think their golden play would be to stop making the hardware that channels people directly into that eco system.

You are being purposefully obtuse, and honestly its just making you look ignorant and embarrasing at this point.

@SMJ If Playstation did what you're saying then what would happen to playstation plus? A big chunk of Sony's revenue is tied to people subscribing to play online and get free monthly games.

Also right now Sony take a 30% cut on all third party games sold, they make billions off fortnite and call of duty alone, not having their own platform and becoming third party would be a silly move. If Playstation was just a store front on PC then people would just buy from wherever is cheapest (most likely steam), and lose billions in the process.

@SMJ And where do you think I've spent an easy five-figure sum of money on those games? Hint - begins with "P", ends with "laystation", precisely because I own one of their current plastic boxes.

@GamingGod Are you aware that grown ups can have opinions about things on a PlayStation website that don't necessarily portray Sony as the greatest thing in video game history?

@SMJ
Sony may not make much on their console hardware units, though the days of them heavily subsidising, except for the 1st year or so of each gen are long gone.
Overall, from a hardware point of view they probably operate at a loss given R&D etc.

Howevet, Sony also only make a small % of their profits making and selling their games.

The bulk of their profits are made via the closed nature of their ecosystem, where they make money on:
1) a % of everything they sell on their digital store.
2) subscriptions to PSN.
3) Peripherals.

If they stop making 'plastic boxes' as you call them, they lose literally all of this money.

Why else would they literally pay others to produce exclusive games for their system, if it wasn't to attract customers into their ecosystem.

It is also very fair to say that the outlay cost to consumers is also lower via this method, as hardware prices would be significantly higher if Sony were not doing well - just look at the ridiculous prices Xbox try to sell their failing series hardware at, and an open environment console would likely be more expensive still for the same level of hardware.

Sony continuing to make consoles is what is best for gamers (Playstation gamers), and themselves alike.

@ilyn "Ignorant and embarrassing"? Very rude. But you're tied to a plastic box so I understand your horrible way of speaking to someone who has a different opinion.

@ilyn Hardware will be irrelevant. Software will be king.

@Rich33 I can't explain myself any more clearly. Whatever PC in a box you will have underneath your TV will be able to access any storefront you want. So if you want to solely buy multi-platform games via the PlayStation store then you can. Sony will still get their 30%. If you prefer to only subscribe to PSN then you can. It will be an app on a generic device but Sony won't need to spend billions on hardware.

@SMJ and what is the software running on, exactly?

@SMJ Loss-leading is still leading. Do you realize how insane it sounds to say they should ditch their platform on an article where they sold millions of downloads (while earning a 30% cut) of just this one game?

@ButterySmooth30FPS I'm not saying they will ditch their platform! I'm saying that the way you access their games won't be tied to a specific piece of hardware! The PlayStation store will be an app and Sony will make just as much money as they currently do without the cost of making hardware.

@UltimateOtaku91 PlayStation fans are ridiculously loyal. They will buy their games via PlayStation store because they prefer the ecosystem. Sony will need to incentivise their fans to stay with them. And that will be better for all gamers.

@MrPeanutbutterz You will still have those games!

@Rich33 If you can only buy PlayStation games through a Sony app then you will buy them through Sony. If you love Sony's ecosystem then you will buy third party games through Sony.

@SMJ you speak alot of sense from a consumer point of view, but alot of users on here are married to a Sony plastic box under their telly and won't even contemplate that there could be a better scenario for themselfs or the industry. Can't see the wood for the trees

@SMJ
That would be a complete financial disaster for Sony, and would be profoundly stupid for them.
They already sell their games via their own store.
You dress this up as better for them, but that just isn't the case by a long, long way. You are literally suggesting they give up their main profit making part of their business, for absolutely nothing.

The only reason MS is getting out of the console making business is because of how spectacularly they have failed this generation.

In terms of consumers and gaming as a whole - also a disaster.
Many would be priced out when it comes to buying the more expensive hardware (in an open system the hardware manufacturer needs to make a good profit).
Also, whilst the PC in a box is a good idea for some, PC is far too much hassle for others.
Thus If Sony were to stop making Consoles there would be a massive contraction in the industry as a whole, leading to more expense, including game prices.

@SMJ Well how many of Sony's players are actually loyal fans though? Yeah on here there's going to be a lot but in general most PS5 owners are just casuals. So if there's no dedicated console hardware then they will just choose a PC they can afford and buy games from whatever storefront is the cheapest, plus free online. Even I have to admit that if PC was the only choice to play games on TV then I probably would not be buying any multiplayer games or third party games using Playstations store, I would use steam, and only use the Playstation store for Sony exclusives.