Sony ‘no longer an electronics company’ as it makes entertainment content like movie Gran Turismo with Orlando Bloom, adapted from Sony PlayStation games
- Sony chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida says the Japanese company is changing from a hardware focus to becoming a broad-based entertainment provider
- Company executives are talking and collaborating more, and Sony has invested more than US$10 billion in music, games and anime over the past five years
When Sony teases Gran Turismo, its long-awaited, adrenaline-fuelled film adaptation of Sony PlayStation’s hit car-racing franchise at the CES 2023 technology trade show this week, it will really be showing off its new identity as a content-driven company.
The movie reflects the transformation of the maker of the Walkman and Bravia TVs from a hardware-focused innovator to broad-based entertainment provider. It also represents a significant bridging of the divide between Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony PlayStation and Sony Music, according to a dozen current and former senior executives.
“I defined our identity as a creative entertainment company with a solid foundation on technology,” says Sony chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida.
The film’s appearance at CES on a stage typically reserved for big-screen TVs and robot pets caps US$10 billion in investments in music, games and anime over the past five years.
Gran Turismo is one of 10 game-inspired film and television projects in various stages of development.