Operating profit grew 0.5 percent from a year earlier to an all-time high of
Net profit for the just-ended fiscal year rose 6.2 percent to
The upbeat earnings results came as Sony, which built its brand on the iconic Walkman portable music players and PlayStation game consoles, started the current fiscal year under new president
Totoki is tasked with bolstering new operations such as the electric vehicle business as new pillars to add earnings momentum. The company launched a joint venture with
"There is a huge opportunity there. We are seeing the industry transforming itself," Totoki said of the EV business at an online press conference. "We are going to produce great results with the joint venture with Honda."
Sales in its game and network services division rose 33 percent to
Sony said it sold a record 19.1 million PlayStation 5 video game consoles in fiscal 2022, up from 11.5 million units a year earlier, as the easing of a parts shortage boosted production.
It aims to sell 25 million consoles in the current fiscal year, a goal that will make the PS5 its best-selling PlayStation model ever on an annual basis, it said.
Increased revenue from music streaming services and brisk sales of image sensors used in smartphone cameras also pushed up profit, offsetting increased costs for game software development.
For the current fiscal year ending
As for the macroeconomic environment, Totoki warned of a gloomier outlook for the year ahead as recession fears grow in
"We are not very optimistic as many overseas authorities are accelerating monetary tightening and the world economy is moving toward economic decoupling," Totoki said.
"We are particularly concerned about the
==Kyodo
© Kyodo News International, Inc., source