Horizon Zero Dawn may sell upwards of 8m units - SuperData
Analyst firm sees new title as key for PlayStation business, puts it in category alongside Uncharted and Metal Gear
Guerilla Games' newly released IP, Horizon Zero Dawn, has seen glowing reviews that have put it in Game of the Year contention already at this early stage of 2017. The positive reception is, of course, very encouraging for the studio but it's also important for the PlayStation business as a whole, noted research firm SuperData, which is projecting sales of 4-6 million units this year and 6-8 million units lifetime.
If SuperData's lifetime sales prediction proves accurate, Horizon Zero Dawn will be in the same category as Sony PlayStation blockbusters like Uncharted 4. That, in turn, could be a strong signal that Sony has another franchise on its hands to push hardware.
"Horizon Zero Dawn is strong strategic move by Sony as competitors move in. The release of Horizon Zero Dawn is a key moment for Sony's PlayStation, because hardware sales have been softening for Sony and the company is increasingly going to rely on successful game releases," said SuperData CEO Joost van Dreunen.
"Now that we are in the second half of the current console cycle forces Sony and its rival Microsoft into a price war for the more risk-averse consumers that typically enter the market at this stage. And the release of the Nintendo Switch in early March will further increase the pressure on Sony to remain the platform of choice for the current gamer generation."
Thus far in the console lifecycle, Sony has sold around 54 million units of the PlayStation 4, more than double Xbox One's 26 million. "This gap will only widen as consumers flock to play Horizon Zero Dawn," van Dreunen added.