Japanese entertainment conglomerate Sony Group Corp (NYSE:SONY) reported strong year-on-year growth in its gaming and music segments, partially offset by a downturn in the film and TV department, in its first-half results.
Although physical PlayStation sales were down, Sony’s PlayStation Plus digital network subscriptions offset this.
Recent AAA gaming releases included Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the Silent Hill 2 remaster and Astro Bot.
Sales across the whole gaming and network division climbed 12% to 1,071.5 billion yen (£5.2 billion).
The music segment recorded a 10% sales increase to 448.2 billion yen (£2.27 billion), aided by stronger revenues from live events, merchandising, and streaming services.
Conversely, Sony’s pictures segment experienced a challenging quarter, with sales falling 11% to 355.8 billion yen. Sony partially attributed this to productions delays arising from the 2023 Hollywood writers’ strikes.
Sony’s consolidated performance, excluding its financial services, reflected overall growth with sales up by 3% year-on-year, reaching 2,905.6 billion yen (£14.7 billion).
Operating income showed a strong 73% increase to 455.1 billion yen (£230 million).