Il 2026 tax year of the big Japanese entertainment groups tells a story double game. On the one hand Nintendo, which closes the year with profits on the rise and sales almost doubled thanks to the push of the Switch 2 and its strongest brands and on the other Sony, which takes the negative impact of the withdrew from the electric project with Honda, but it enters the new financial year with record objectives and a PlayStation still central to the group's accounts.
The common thread is the cost of technologyMemory, chips, components, and more challenging market conditions are changing the industry's balance. The result is a phase in which the financials remain solid, but growth is no longer free. And in fact, next to the profits, they also arrive price increases, cautious forecasts and less brilliant hardware sales.
Nintendo is flying, but it's looking ahead with caution.
Nintendo closed the fiscal year ending in March with a Net income of 424 billion yen, approximately 2,3 billion euros, up 52%. turnover reached a record high of 2.313 billion yen, a jump of 98,6%. These figures confirm the Kyoto-based group's commercial strength and ability to monetize its franchises, including consoles, software, and related content.
It's not all roses and flowers. For the current financial year, Nintendo plans a 27% contraction in net profitThe group also estimates Switch 2 sales 16,5 million units in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2027, down from approximately 19,9 million the previous year. This signals continued strong demand, but less explosive than in the initial phase of the cycle.
Switch 2 costs more, chip and market weigh heavily
The most visible move is theSwitch 2 price increaseIn the United States, the console will increase from $449,99 to $499,99 starting September 1st. In Japan, it will go up from 49.980 to 59.980 yen starting May 25th. Increases are also expected in Canada and Europe, where the standard version is expected to be around 30 euros more expensive than the current price.
The decision is based on therising memory costs and new market conditionsPressure is also coming from demand for chips tied to artificial intelligence data centers, which is absorbing production capacity and pushing up component prices. Added to this is the international trade situation, which is also impacted by US tariffs. These same tensions are weighing on the entire sector and also affect Sony.
Nintendo brands remain the driving force
The slowdown in estimates does not erase the strength of the Nintendo ecosystem. In first quarter The group posted a net profit of 65,2 billion yen, above analysts' expectations, while quarterly revenue stood at 407,2 billion yen, below the consensus of 430,6 billion.
The group's most recognizable brands remain to support it.. Super Mario Galaxy – The Movie, made with Universal and Illumination, has grossed nearly $900 million worldwide. On the gaming front, Pokémon Pokopia for Switch 2 has established itself as one of the most successful titles, while the next releases related to Splatoon e Starfox They keep the community's attention high. Nintendo, in short, is slowing down its forecasts but continues to rely on one of the most powerful intellectual property portfolios in the industry.
Sony pays farewell to electric cars
The painting of Sony is differentThe Japanese giant closed the fiscal year with a net profit down by 3,4% to 1.003 billion yen, equal to approximately 5,45 billion euros. The main factor that weighed on this was the extraordinary loss from 44,9 billion yen linked to the downsizing of the joint venture in electric vehicles with Honda, born in 2022 around the Sony Honda Mobility project.
The project, designed to develop electric vehicles under the brand afeela, was hit by the global slowdown in demand for electric cars and Honda's strategic review of electrification. development of the planned models has been suspended and evaluations on the future of the joint venture are still ongoing.
Net of this negative voice, operational numbers remain solidOperating profit rose 13,4% to 1.450 trillion yen, while total revenue rose 3,7% to 12.480 trillion yen. The group's growth was driven primarily by music and image sensors, thanks to the growth of streaming and the robust demand for mobile phone components.
PlayStation holds on to profits, less so on consoles
Within Sony's perimeter, the Game & Network Services division remains central. Sector sales PlayStation remained essentially stable compared to the previous year, at around 25,4 billion euros, while operating profit rose to around 2,5 billion euros, up around 12%.
The push came from digital services, more profitable, and a favorable currency context. The results were instead held back by the Bungie-related losses, equivalent to approximately €650 million. On the network front, PlayStation Network closed the fourth quarter with 125 million unique monthly active users, one more than the previous year. The migration to digital also continues, accounting for 85% of software sales in the quarter, compared to 80% the previous year.
Weaker hardware. PlayStation 5 has reached 93,7 million units sold since launch, but in the fourth quarter she stopped 1,5 million consoles, compared to 2,8 million the previous year. Sales for the entire fiscal year amounted to 16 million units, down from 18,5 million the previous year. For Sony, too, the the topic of chips and memories remains crucial, so much so that future estimates depend on the possibility of finding components at sustainable prices.
Sony However, it looks to the new financial year with ambition. For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2027, the group provides for a net profit Revenue is expected to grow 12,5% to 1.160 trillion yen, and operating profit is expected to increase 10,5% to 1.600 trillion yen. Both would be record levels. Revenue, however, is expected to decline slightly, 1,4%, to 12.300 trillion yen.
