Akihabara News (Tokyo) — As the Sony Group unveiled its financial results for last year, it has become increasing clear that the legendary firm once symbolized by consumer electronics such as radios, televisions, and the Sony Walkman is now much more of a global entertainment company.
Sony’s game segment, which includes products such as the Sony PlayStation console, gaming software, and network services, recorded sales of ¥2.7 trillion (US$21.1 billion) from April 2021 to March 2022 (FY2021). This alone represented about 27.7% of the group’s total revenues.
The PlayStation 5 console, of course, is the central product of this segment, and it has become wildly popular in spite of the fact that its rollout has been badly marred by supply shortages, leaving many fans unable to get hold of it. Nevertheless, Sony sold 11.5 million units in FY2021 and it believes it can sell another 18 million in the current fiscal year.
Sony Pictures Entertainment recorded sales of ¥1.2 trillion (US$9.5 billion) in FY2021, making up about 12.5% of the groups’s total revenues. This figure was driven by the enormous success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which became the No. 6 movie ever at the worldwide box office. Venom: Let There Be Carnage also performed well.
Sony’s music segment contributed sales of ¥1.1 trillion (US$8.6 billion) to the group, or about 11.2% of the total. The leading performer among the global recorded music projects was 30, the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter Adele, released last November.
The firm’s overall consolidated sales last fiscal year were ¥9.9 trillion (US$76.2 billion), a record high.
Sony has not abandoned electronics, of course, and its cameras and even televisions remain an important part of its overall business. Still, with big moves such as the December 2020 purchase of the Crunchyroll anime business, it appears that most of the group’s energies are now focused on entertainment, and that it sees itself less as the iconic electronics firm it has traditionally been known as.