Sony trims profit forecast on weaker gaming outlook


REUTERS | Published: July 29, 2022 14:08:43 | Updated: August 01, 2022 11:55:58


Sony Group Corp's new line of headphones and monitors targeting the growing PC market for video games, the Inzone line, is displayed during its unveiling in Tokyo, Japan, June 29, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Japan's Sony Group Corp on Friday cut its annual operating profit forecast by 4 per cent to 1.11 trillion yen ($8.37 billion) as it lowered expectations for its key gaming unit.

Sony also posted a 9.6 per cent rise in first-quarter operating profit, beating analyst estimates, boosted by demand for its movies and television shows.

Sony revised down the annual profit forecast for the gaming unit by 16 per cent, citing an expected fall in sales of games from external developers while booking expenses from an earlier-than-expected closing of its deal for "Halo" creator Bungie.

The conglomerate said in May it aimed to sell 18 million of its hit PlayStation 5 consoles this fiscal year as supply chain snarls ease and it ramps up production. Sony sold 11.5 million units in the year ended March.

Sony sold 2.4 million PS5 units in the first quarter, a slight increase from the same period a year earlier. Upcoming PlayStation titles include "God of War Ragnarok" due for release in November.

Operating profit in the April to June quarter was 307 billion yen, compared with an estimated average profit of 289 billion yen from seven analysts surveyed by Refinitiv.

Last year, Sony booked a record 1.2 trillion yen profit, bolstered by demand for its entertaiment content.

Sony shares closed flat ahead of earnings. The group's shares have lost around a fifth of their value this year, compared with a 3 per cent drop in the blue-chip benchmark Nikkei 225.

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