Even Sony’s CEO wants out after PlayStation’s ‘no

Only two days after Sony announced it would phase out disc‑based titles after January 2028, the company’s chief executive, Hiroki Totoki, liquidated a majority of his holdings—56%—capitalizing on a brief post‑announcement rally.

SEC documents, highlighted by Insider Gaming, reveal that on July 3 Totoki divested 225,000 shares at $21.02 apiece, generating roughly $4.7 million. He retains more than 170,000 shares. Sony’s chief strategy officer, Toshimoto Mitomo, likewise sold 25,000 shares—representing 18% of his holdings—at the identical valuation.

Sony’s performance during the PS5 generation has fallen short of fan anticipation. A string of studio shutdowns, repeated game cancellations, a puzzling emphasis on titles that failed to resonate, unexpected price increases, and the recent Bungie fallout have all contributed to what many view as the darkest chapter in the company’s gaming saga. Concerns are mounting over how Sony will treat digitally owned content moving forward.

On July 1, gamers rallied behind a Change.org campaign called “Don’t Kill the Disc,” seeking to halt Sony’s planned discontinuation of disc‑based titles. The petition has already attracted close to 220,000 signatures. The market reaction has been muted; the share price presently sits at $21.20—just $0.18 above the price at which Totoki and Mitomo liquidated their holdings.