Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Posts Record-Breaking PlayStation®2 Holiday Sales Due to Buoyant Software Market

With retailers proclaiming landmark holiday sales in the games sector, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. today announced that it contributed significantly to the overall selling season with its PlayStation®2 business, outpacing original internal sales estimates and outperforming the competition.

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In a period which most analysts considered to be a growth year for the industry, Sony Computer Entertainment America sold close to three million PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems during November and December 2001, according to internal sales data. To put this in perspective, during this period, which was the launch timeframe for two new market entries, the company's PlayStation 2 holiday sales exceeded the total combined shipment numbers reported by its competitors.

Specifically, more than 988,700 million PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems were sold during November 2001 and nearly two million additional units during December 2001. The company posted sales of more than 640,000 consoles during Christmas week alone, which helped drive December sales up more than 243 percent over the same period in 2000. These positive year-end sales boosted the cumulative PlayStation 2 installed base to about eight million units in North America since its debut 14 months ago.

Far outweighing expectations based on historical trending data, PlayStation 2 games flew off the shelves in record numbers this year. December is traditionally a very strong month for total category sales, with incremental software purchases generally increasing en masse in ensuing months. Due to the vast array of exciting new games available for PlayStation 2, the software-to-hardware tie ratio reached an unprecedented six-to-one in December.

With more than 200 PlayStation 2 games to choose from, growing software sales contributed heavily to the overall performance of the gaming business during the holidays. Major hits topping the charts for PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system include: Metal Gear Solid® 2: Sons of Liberty™ from Konami of America; Devil May Cry™ from Capcom; Grand Theft Auto 3 from Rockstar Games; Tony Hawk's Pro Skater™ 3 from Activision; Madden NFL 2002 from EA Sports; WWF SmackDown!™ Just Bring It from THQ; Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec™ from Sony Computer Entertainment America; and Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy™ from Sony Computer Entertainment America.

A welcome holiday surprise was the early release of Final Fantasy® X, the next installment of the multi-million selling PlayStation-exclusive franchise from Squaresoft, on December 18, 2001, which captured the number-one position at leading retail outlets nationwide.

"PlayStation 2's phenomenal sales during the holiday season, and throughout 2001, is good news for the industry overall," said Kaz Hirai, president and chief operating officer, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "There is a huge consumer market in the U.S. for in-home entertainment. As more people diversify their entertainment options, we see newer forms -- like games -- growing exponentially in comparison to traditional mediums. Looking to 2002, we anticipate by the sheer size of our growing loyal fan base and the strength of our established industry partners that the PlayStation business will continue to propel this category to new heights, changing the landscape of the living room."

Not to be outdone in its seventh holiday season on the market, the company extended its commanding industry lead with the original PlayStation game console posting sales of almost 1.1 million units for the November 1 through December 31 timeframe. Fueled by the release of the redesigned PS one™ console in September 2000, coupled with the introduction of the LCD Screen (for PS one) in November 2001, Sony Computer Entertainment America continues to deliver a wide market for its existing PlayStation business while adding new product features like portability.

Franchise properties and family entertainment lead the sales pack on the original PlayStation with titles like Harry Potter: Sorcerer's Stone™ from Electronic Arts, Disney/Pixar's Monsters Inc. from Sony Computer Entertainment America, Spider-Man® from Activision, Driver™ 2 from Infogrames, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater™ 3 from Activision. Year-end sales bring the cumulative PlayStation installed base to 31.8 million units in North America. As a result a PlayStation is now found in one out of every three U.S. households.

About Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® and PS one™ game console, and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system is set to revolutionize the home entertainment market, offering the most compelling interactive content and the capability to be used as a network terminal in the coming broadband era.

Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PS one game console and the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif. Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. serves as headquarters for all North American operations and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

  Visit us on the Web at http://www.scea.com .

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SOURCE: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

Contact: Darren Horwitz, +1-650-655-5324, or
darren_horwitz@playstation.sony.com, or Monica Wik, +1-650-655-5394, or
monica_wik@playstation.sony.com, both of Sony Computer Entertainment America

Website: http://www.playstation.com/

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