Sony has raised its full-year forecast for its games segment after higher net sales and operating income in the second quarter.
The platform holder attributed the results to higher sales from network services and first-party software, including Marvel’s Wolverine, which surpassed 2.4 million units.
Hardware revenue declined due to lower PlayStation 5 unit sales. However, the console sold 2.6 million additional units in the second quarter, bringing lifetime sales to 93.7 million.
The numbers
H1 (six months ended September 30, 2026)
| Sony Corporation | Game & Network Services |
|---|---|
|
Net sales: ¥6.2 trillion ($39.1 billion, up 9.4%) |
Net sales: ¥2.1 trillion ($13.5 billion, up 2.9%) |
|
Operating income: ¥1.09 trillion ($6.8 billion, up 42.9%) |
Operating income: ¥422 billion ($2.6 billion, up 57%) |
Q2 (three months ended September 30, 2026)
| Sony Corporation | Game & Network Services |
|---|---|
|
Net sales: ¥3.4 trillion ($21.4 billion, up 10%) |
Net sales: ¥1.2 trillion ($7.5 billion, up 9%) |
|
Operating income: ¥622.3 billion ($3.9 billion, up 45%) |
Operating income: ¥220 billion ($1.3 billion, up 83%) |
The highlights
Sony’s G&NS segment operating income rose because it did not include a one-time loss of ¥49.8 billion in the same period last year, which included a $765 million impairment loss from Bungie. Excluding these factors, GN&S operating income rose 29% during the quarter.
Overall, Sony attributed the gains in its GN&S results to higher sales of network services and first-party software.
Game software revenue rose 12.5% to ¥708.5 billion ($4.4 billion), with digital software and add-on content contributing ¥643.9 billion ($4 billion). Physical software revenue increased 21.7% to ¥43.1 billion ($272 million).
Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Wolverine contributed to the “improved results of the entire segment for the quarter.” Since its September 15 launch, the game has sold 2.4 million units.
Full game software unit sales reached 88.2 million for the period, including 8.2 million first-party units.
Network services revenue rose 19.7% to ¥218.3 billion ($1.37 billion). Monthly active PS Plus users reached 127 million, up from 119 million in the same period last year, marking a “record high for September.”
Hardware revenue declined 4.8% to ¥219.7 billion ($1.38 billion), as PlayStation 5 unit sales fell from four million in Q2 2025 to 2.6 million units this quarter.
Sony CFO Lin Tao noted the company was “able to offset the rise in memory prices” for PS5 hardware “through adjustments to promotions and pricing, as well as additional cost-reduction.”
“Regarding memory procurement for next fiscal year, based on discussions held so far with various suppliers, we have aligned on the quantity of memory needed for our projected hardware unit sales.”
Looking ahead, Sony increased its G&NS segment sales forecast for the full fiscal year by 6% to ¥4.8 trillion ($30.3 billion).
It has also increased its operating income forecast by 6% to ¥700 billion ($4.4 billion), which Tao attributed to “the impact of higher third-party software and network services sales and decreased costs.”
“Looking ahead to next fiscal year, we aim to continue to enhance user engagement and further strengthen monetisation through the release of strong titles and the expansion of our service. We also intend to make solid progress in preparing for the next-generation platform.”