Sony shifts its focus to movies, animation and video games

Sony is adapting to tougher times, with rivals making cheaper but competitive electronics

Sony says it is focusing on creativity in movies, animation and video games, instead of old-fashioned gadgetry.

Its chief executive, Kenichiro Yoshida, outlined the company’s strategy Thursday, saying Sony was helping creative professionals deliver what he called “kando,” or a moving experience.

Yoshida did not speak about reports Sony and Apollo Global Management are interested in buying Paramount Global.

Yoshida said the firm is now emphasizing the creative process itself instead of prized products of the past such as the Walkman portable music player and Trinitron color TVs. He said “synergies” are no longer between entertainment and electronics, but determined by intellectual property spanning animation, music, games and films.

We will continue to support people’s creativity through our technology, Yoshida said in an online briefing.

Sony is adapting to tougher times, with rivals making cheaper but competitive electronics. Critics say venturing into movies, music and other entertainment can be unprofitable.

Starting with its acquisition of EMI Music Publishing in 2018, Sony has invested around 1.5 trillion yen ($10 billion) in the past six years to bolster its content creation.

In 2021 it acquired Crunchyroll, which has over 13 million paid subscribers and delivers Japanese animation globally. Another was Yoasobi, a Japanese music duo that includes Vocaloid technology, or singing voice synthesizer software, and is attracting global fans.

Sony’s real-time computing technology that records “this moment,” as Yoshida put it, is being used in cameras at sports events because it can capture quickly moving subjects without distortion.

It is also used for news coverage and editing and in 3D video and computer graphics, including hit movies such as “Godzilla Minus One,” and games based on human athletes’ movements, adds Yoshida.