Sony says movies and games are all about creativity, not gadgets Mirror on the Internet

Sony, the Japanese electronics and entertainment giant, is focusing on creativity in films, animations and video games, moving away from traditional gadgets.

Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida spoke on Thursday about the company’s new direction, emphasizing the importance of delivering “kando,” or deeply emotional experiences, through creative content. Although Yoshida avoided commenting on rumors about Sony and Apollo Global Management’s interest in acquiring Paramount Global, he emphasized that the company’s current strategy prioritises the creative process over iconic products such as Walkman and Trinitron televisions.

He stressed that “synergy” currently exists across intellectual property in various fields, including animation, music, games and films. “We will continue to support people’s creativity through our technology,” Yoshida said during an online briefing. Sony, navigating a competitive market where rivals are offering low-cost alternatives, has faced criticism for entering potentially less lucrative fields such as film, music and other forms of entertainment.

However, since purchasing EMI Music Publishing in 2018, Sony has invested approximately 1.5 trillion yen ($10 billion) over six years to expand its content creation capabilities. In 2021, Sony acquired Crunchyroll, a platform that boasts over 13 million paid subscribers and delivers Japanese animation to audiences around the world.

The next acquisition was Yoasobi, a Japanese music duo using Vocaloid technology, a voice synthesizer software that is gaining fans around the world. Sony’s real-time processing technology, described by Yoshida as capturing “the moment,” is used in cameras at sporting events for its ability to capture fast-moving objects without distortion.

According to Yoshida, the technology is also used for news editing, editing, 3D video and computer graphics, including blockbusters such as “Godzilla Minus One” and games based on the movements of human athletes. Sony recently announced that its quarterly profit rose to 189 billion yen ($1.2 billion), up from 141 billion yen the previous year.

Quarterly sales from the PlayStation arcade maker rose 14% to 3.48 trillion yen ($22 billion). However, in the fiscal year ending in March, Sony reported a 3% drop in profit to 970 billion yen ($6.2 billion) due to weak performance in its financial services segment, which is expected to be partially spun off next year.