In a new interview with The Wall Street Journal, Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki took a trip down memory lane going through his early days at the company to his current run as the CEO, talking about how he and Sony have changed throughout the years. One of the topics that came up is the current disruption of parts and chips within the entertainment industry and most specifically, the video game industry. The issue has hindered Sony’s plans for PlayStation 6 which Totoki said still doesn’t have a release window/date.
Sony built its reputation on electronics like the Walkman and PlayStation. Now, CEO Hiroki Totoki wants to transform the company into an entertainment juggernaut. 🔗 https://t.co/Q6DwsYcMX8 pic.twitter.com/JmNlXVmv5G
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) August 17, 2026
Sony has shifted its focus since Totoki’s start right out of college in the 80s. While it became a household name with its consumer-electronics business, over the years, Sony is more focused on its entertainment side of things with more than two-thirds of its revenue cominng from motion pictures, music, and videogames. One of Sony’s key strategies that they made recently was adapting video games into movies and tv shows, ensuring valuable entertainment properties keep earning.
“That’s the flywheel we like to make,” Totoki said. He added that Sony is looking for ways to integrate gaming and anime, genres he said have a natural affinity.
While things have been going well for Sony, trade wars and the disrupted supplies of energy and chips due to the rise of AI have affected the company.
“Considering that importance, we need to take some action. Otherwise, we cannot survive in this landscape,” he said. Sony earnings in the April-June quarter were solid but were propped up by U.S. tariff rebates and a weak yen. Shares are down about 2.5% over the past year, reflecting rising costs for essentials such as memory chips that are affecting the broader entertainment and gaming industry.
The disrupted supplies of energy and chips have affected PlayStation’s plans for the future with many assuming the PlayStation 6 is coming soon. Many analysts expected the console to arrive next year that is no longer the case. Totoki noted that they still don’t have a date in mind for PS6’s launch.
Talking about AI in terms of developing and creating content, Totoki said: “AI cannot replace it. AI can enhance human creativity. It is really up to us. We take advantage of AI, or we face a threat from AI.”