Sony

Sony Group reported a strong Q2 operating profit exceeding expectations, driven by music and imaging businesses, with a surprising drag from its animated movie, ‘KPop Demon Hunters.’ Operating profit rose 10% YoY, and revenue increased 5%. A share buyback of up to 100 billion yen was announced. The full-year outlook was revised upwards, projecting an 8% increase in operating profit. Despite robust sales in gaming, profitability slightly decreased. The picture business saw a profit contraction due to licensing the streaming rights of a highly successful film to Netflix.

Sony officially exited the Russian market on August 11th, ceasing all business operations and closing its local office after 18 years. Documents for the closure were submitted in October 2024. This follows Sony’s suspension of operations in 2022 due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which included halting PlayStation shipments, closing the PlayStation Store, suspending film distribution, and shutting down Sony Music. Sony had provided free PlayStation Plus subscriptions to Ukrainians until the end of last year.

Sony has completed shifting its PlayStation 5 (PS5) console production for the U.S. market out of China in response to U.S. tariffs. According to CFO Hiroki Totoki, this supply chain realignment aims to mitigate the impact of trade tensions. The production shift for PS5 peripherals is expected to be finalized by the end of September 2025. While current PS5 prices in the U.S. remain stable, Sony will dynamically adjust future pricing based on various factors including profitability and market competitiveness.

Sony faces setbacks as Xperia 1 VII sales are globally suspended due to freezing problems. Simultaneously, the newly released WH-1000XM6 headphones are reportedly experiencing “broken hinge” issues. These product flaws pose a significant challenge for Sony’s reputation and may impact consumer confidence.