While the biggest thing that came out of the catastrophic Insomniac hack was the leak of a playable build of Wolverine, the data breach also revealed that the PS3 still had millions of players at the start of 2023.
According to a leaked slide that was shared in a report from Exputer, the PlayStation 3 had 2.3 million monthly active users (MAUs) at the start of the year. By February (which is the final date shown on the slide), the number had dropped to 1.9 million MAUs. However, this decline could be attributed to the 2.1% uplift in PS5 players over the same period which saw it hit 37.1 million users.
Per the slide, the PS4 continued to rule the roost with more than 70 million active users. Nevertheless, the leaked information also reveals that that number has been on a steady decline since January 2021 with a reduction of more than 30 million players as the PS5 has gained traction.
It’s worth noting that the slide caveats January and February 2023 user numbers by stating that figures are expected to increase due to “data latency catch up”.
The PS5 has had an incredibly successful year – it hit 50 million units sold in December. Still, it’s surprising that the PS3 – a console which came out back in 2006 – continues to have millions of active players even after all these years.
The PS3, which had a significantly tougher lifespan than its successors, faced problems at launch due to its comparatively high retail price. Coming in at a steep cost of $599/£425, competition from Microsoft’s cheaper Xbox 360 was fierce and it took time for players to adopt Sony’s console.
In the end, the PlayStation 3 came out on top with 87.4 million sales as of 2017 – and it seems that a core base of players still enjoy it on a regular basis. Exclusive games like Metal Gear Solid 4, Gran Turismo 5, The Last of Us, and Uncharted 2 and 3 propelled it to success during its run and are probably why players continue to return to the decade-and-a-half old console.
Are you surprised at the number of PS3 players in 2023? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…
