Sony’s Playstation Business Secrets Revealed by Poor Use of Sharpie on Legal Documents

Confidential details about Sony’s PlayStation business were inadvertently disclosed during an FTC hearing on Microsoft, revealing key insights into the company’s operations and financials. The details were exposed after documents had sensitive details redacted with a sharpie marker, which became visible when the documents were scanned into digital form.

The Verge reports that during recent FTC hearings related to Microsoft, sensitive information about Sony’s PlayStation division was accidentally made public, providing important new information about the company’s operations and finances.

Sony’s PlayStation business, a titan in the gaming industry, has had a significant amount of confidential information unintentionally exposed. Documents had key details redacted with a Sharpie marker, which allowed the details to become visible when the documents were scanned into a computer. They offer a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the company, including its revenue from the popular game Call of Duty, the cost of developing some of its flagship games, and its profit margins with publishers. The game is particularly important due to its popularity and the fact that Microsoft is attempting to buy Activision, the developer of Call of Duty, which may impact its availability on Playstation and other platforms.

One of the key revelations from the document was the cost of developing some of Sony’s most popular games. The Last of Us Part II cost $220 million with about 200 employees, according to the document, and Horizon Forbidden West cost $212 million over five years with 300 employees.

The document also shed light on the popularity of Call of Duty among PlayStation users, stating:

In 2021, over [14?] million users (by device) spent 30 percent or more of their time playing Call of Duty, over 6 million users spent more than 70% of their time on Call of Duty, and about 1 million users spent 100% of their gaming time on Call of Duty. In 2021, Call of Duty players spent an average of [116?] hours per year playing Call of Duty. Call of Duty players spending more than 70 percent of their time on Call of Duty spent an average of 296 hours on the franchise.

Moreover, the document disclosed the financial significance of Call of Duty to PlayStation. In just the U.S. during 2021, the game franchise was worth $800 million for PlayStation revenue, and it may have been worth $1.5 billion globally. This figure could be as high as $15.9 billion annually when accessories, subscriptions, and other related purchases are included, according to the document.

The document also indicated that Sony’s exclusive marketing deal with Activision for Call of Duty is nearing its end. As part of its exclusive marketing agreement with Activision, Sony only has one more Call of Duty game, according to the statement.

In terms of console ownership, the document revealed that:

According to SIE internal surveys, almost half of PlayStation 5 owners in the United States also own a Nintendo Switch, while less than 20% of PlayStation 5 owners in the United States also own an Xbox Series X or S.

While the court has since removed the document, the information was already downloaded by reporters and Sony’s competitors.

Read more at the Verge here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan