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Sony has pushed back on rumours that they have cut back on PS5 production. The original story came from Bloomberg, who reported that PS5 production was cut by 4m units this fiscal year. Sources claimed that manufacturing was well below expectations, with production yields for the system-on-chip as low as fifty per cent.
However, Sony has denied this, stating to GamesIndustry.biz that:
“While we do not release details related to manufacturing, the information provided by Bloomberg is false,” the statement reads.
“We have not changed the production number for PlayStation 5 since the start of mass production.”
Still, this isn’t to say that Sony has run into zero issues during production. News has emerged that Sony is using air freight to ship PS5 units to US retailers, in order to better meet demand.
The news comes from via an interview between Caixan Global and a Delta China cargo manager, with Niko Partners analyst sharing a translation and context on Twitter.
Sony are using air freight to ensure that PS5 can meet demand / supply enough units
The company has booked 60 flights from October (Delta 747) to ship consoles to retailers. This supply is expected to last through the quarter
Air freight is faster than sea, but more expensive.
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) September 14, 2020
According to Ahmad’s translation, Sony have either booked 60 flights or 60 individual aircraft (it is unclear) with Delta airlines to ship PS5 units to US retailers.
The reasons for such an expensive transport option, when compared to sea transport, could be down to a number of factors – from slowed production, COVID-19 related issues or concerns about the possibility of future lockdowns being enforced.
