Sony Group and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. are in discussions to invest a combined ¥1 trillion ($6.4 billion) in their planned joint chip factory in Japan, according to a person familiar with the matter. The investment represents a significant expansion of the two companies' manufacturing partnership in the country. TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, has been working to diversify its production base beyond Taiwan. The joint facility would strengthen Japan's domestic semiconductor manufacturing capabilities whilst providing Sony with more secure access to advanced chip production. Further details about the plant's timeline and production capacity have not been disclosed.

Nintendo reported that 38.5% of its software sales between March and June 2026 were physical copies, whilst 61.5% were digital purchases. This comes as Sony plans to end game disc production by January 2028. The Japanese gaming company earned 132.7 billion yen from digital sales in the quarter, marking a 90% year-on-year increase. However, Nintendo's digital sales figures include Switch Online subscriptions, downloadable content, and download-only titles. Software sales for Switch 2 increased 9.2% year-on-year to 9.46 million units, whilst original Switch software rose 38.6% to 33.81 million units. The substantial physical sales ratio suggests Nintendo has no immediate plans to abandon boxed games, contrasting with Sony's approach.

Hollywood welcomed its fourth billion-dollar film of 2026 this week as Sony and Marvel's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" crossed the benchmark. It joins Universal's "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie," Lionsgate's "Michael," and Disney and Pixar's "Toy Story 5." This marks the highest number of billion-dollar releases in a single year since the Covid pandemic. In 2019, nine films reached this milestone. The domestic box office is on pace to cross $10 billion for the first time in seven years, though it remains 11% below 2019 levels. Higher ticket prices are contributing to the growth, with premium format tickets averaging $18.22 and standard tickets around $13.50. Generation Z, accounting for nearly 40% of North American audiences in 2025, is driving the resurgence.