Sony is a giant brand in the gaming world and has always been at the top with the Spider-Man series in movies. However, Sony’s COO Hiroki Totoki admitted that there was a significant deficiency behind these successes. Sony Group President said, “ We were inadequate in developing original IP (intellectual property).” So, what does this mean? Is the company unable to produce original ideas?
Lack of original IP from Sony: What would happen without Spider-Man?
Totoki expressed concern for the company’s future in an interview with the Financial Times , saying, “We haven’t developed enough original IP from the start, which puts us at a disadvantage against our competitors .” Sony has achieved great success in the worlds of gaming, film, and anime, but as Totoki points out, much of that success is based on other people’s IP.
Sony Pictures, which has been kept afloat by massive franchises like Spider-Man , is lacking in original content. One Reddit user summed up the situation by asking, “Where would Sony Pictures be without Spider-Man?”
Sony has grown over the years by acquiring major IP rather than original IP. For example, Sony attempted to buy Paramount for $26 billion, but that deal fell through. Sony’s efforts to create its own original IP have also been less than successful.
The company’s highly anticipated 5v5 FPS game Starstrike was removed from the platform within two weeks. This failure naturally highlighted the difficulties Sony faces in creating original content.
The president’s confession raises questions about what steps Sony will take in the future. Will Sony continue to stick to big brands like Spider-Man or will it produce new and original content? We will see the answer to this in the future.
