Sony’s games chief says game industry is “recession-proof,” isn’t worried about timing of PS5’s release

Sony’s games chief Jim Ryan said in an interview with BBC earlier today that he isn’t too worried about the economic recession’s effect on the gaming industry or the PlayStation 5’s release window.

Ryan doesn’t think the timing of the release of the next-gen console will be impacted by the current uncertain economic situation around the world, even though many people have lost their jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Conventional wisdom and history show that our business is one of the more recession-proof businesses,” Ryan said. “But I think this will sharpen our need to ensure that we focus on getting the value equation right. And I emphasize value as opposed to price.”

After the console was revealed in the PS5: Future of Gaming livestream yesterday, one major question remained: How much will it cost? But Ryan was clear and told the BBC reporter that he was “not going to hear anything on price today.”

Ryan also addressed the digital-only version of the PS5 since many players are only purchasing digital copies of games. “We thought that we would do what we typically try and do, and just offer choice,” Ryan said.

Related: How much will the PS5 cost? Our best estimates

The Xbox One S All-Digital was launched on May 7, 2019 by Microsoft, more than five years after the Xbox One’s release. With the Xbox Series X reveal this year, many fans likely didn’t expect to see a digital-only version alongside the main console before yesterday’s PS5 presentation.

The digital-only version will likely be less expensive than the base PS5, but the official price will probably be revealed closer to the console’s holiday season release date.