PlayStation, Xbox, And Nintendo Gaming Revenue Compared: Sony Leads The Way

Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony have now all announced earnings results for the 2021 full year, and it's Sony that raked in the most revenue during the year.

As rounded up by Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad, Sony's PlayStation division pulled in $24.87 billion for the calendar year, which compares to $16.28 billion for Microsoft and $15.3 billion for Nintendo. Sony and Microsoft are massive, diversified companies with many unique business units, but these numbers pertain to each company's gaming divisions specifically.

Revenue is only one piece of the puzzle, though. In terms of operating profit--i.e. how much money a company makes after paying expenses--Nintendo leads with $5.4 billion in terms of publicly disclosed numbers. Sony had an operating profit of $2.63 billion for its gaming division. Microsoft, meanwhile, does not report operating profit for its Xbox division.

These types of comparisons are never perfect or complete, as each company has their own different business philosophies and practices. But in terms of revenue, Sony is the clear leader by a significant margin thanks in part to the success of the PS5 and its subscription services.

In terms of console sales, the Switch leads the way with more than 103 million systems sold since launch in 2017. The PS5, which released in November 2020, has moved more than 17 million units, while 2020's Xbox Series X|S is projected to have sold 12 million units.

In other news, Sony just acquired Destiny developer Bungie for $3.6 billion. In the wake of that, here's a look at some of PlayStation's big games and studios following the deal.