Former Microsoft and Blizzard executive Mike Ybarra has acknowledged that PlayStation is a successful console business, and that Xbox is “dead”.
Ybarra took to Twitter/X to respond to Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino’s recent statement about the PS5 being the company’s most successful console to date after reaching a milestone of 136 billion US Dollars in sales revenue in just under 5 years from launch. The former Microsoft and Blizzard executive lauded PlayStation while being critical of Xbox, saying that the console business is successful if done right.
When labeled as “the bitter ex” by a fellow Twitter/X user, Ybarra responded by telling them that their “console is dead.” Another user said, “Everything is a console if you’re brave enough”, to which the former Microsoft executive responded by saying, “you mean confused enough.”
During his keybote speech at Tokyo Game Show 2025, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino compared the PS5’s 136 billion US Dollars of sales revenue in less than 5 years with the PS4’s sales revenue of 107 billion US Dollars between the same 5-year period of 2013 and 2019, making the former the “most successful generation to date.”
“We think that PlayStation is not only the hardware, not only the games but the overall experience,” said Nishino, who referred to PlayStation as an ecosystem that brings players and creators together. He also pointed out that the company’s digital marketplace, the PlayStation Store, has continued to develop since its inception with the launch of the PS3 back in 2006. “With the evolution of the Store, we have continued to push the limits of play,” he mentioned. “We strive to be the best place for players to play, and for creators to publish.”
Back in February, 2025, a Take-Two Interactive investor presentation revealed that PS5 sales continued to outpace those of Xbox Series X|S consoles as of November, 2024, with over twice as many units sold. Read about it here.
