Sony CEO sells $4.7 million worth of stock days after PlayStation announces disc phase out

Q: What precedent exists in TweakTown coverage for how executive stock sales affected product PR crises?

TweakTown reported that Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki sold $4.7 million in stock just two days after PlayStation announced it would end game disc production, and noted several other executives also sold shares. The coverage framed those sales as adding fuel to PlayStation’s PR fire, establishing a precedent that executive stock disposals during product controversies are reported as exacerbating public relations problems.

Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki has sold $4.7 million worth of stock just days after PlayStation announced that it will no longer produce game discs after 2028.

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Derek Strickland

Senior Gaming Editor

Published Jul 10, 2026 7:37 PM CDT

1 minute & 30 seconds read time

TL;DR: Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki sold 225,000 shares worth $4.7 million two days after PlayStation announced it will stop producing game discs after 2028. Several other Sony executives also sold shares recently, though none matched Totoki's $4.7 million transaction.

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Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki has sold 225,000 shares of company stock worth $4.7 million, just days after PlayStation made the controversial announcement to end game disc production in 2028.

Sony CEO sells $4.7 million worth of stock days after PlayStation announces disc phase out 1

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Sony's decision to phase out game discs has not gone over well with PlayStation faithful. Meanwhile, amid the controversy, Sony executives are making millions by selling off company stock. The timing has added a bit of fuel to Sony's ongoing PR fire, as it was uncovered that Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki made a particular multi-million dollar stock disposal just 2 days after the PlayStation game disc announcement.

As it turns out, glancing at the company's EDGAR filings shows that multiple high-profile Sony executives have also recently sold stock; four members of Sony's leadership team including Chief Strategy Officer Toshimoto Mitomo, have all made sales of thousands of Sony shares. However, none were worth as much as Totoki's hefty $4.7 million exchange

Read more: Sony stock up 7% following decision to terminate game disc production
Read more: PlayStation ending physical game discs in 2028, Sony officially confirms

Hiroki Totoki, CEO, - 225,000 shares at $21.02, worth $4,729,500
Toshimoto Mitomo, CSO - 25,000 shares at $21.02, worth $525,000
Ravi Ahuja, Sony Pictures CEO - 36,826 shares at $21.08, worth $776,292
Jose Jonathan Platt Sony Music Publishing CEO -16,512 shares at $21.08, worth $348,072

Although PlayStation's image is in turmoil when viewed by the enthusiast's eye, it remains unclear how the decision to end physical media has been taken by the broader global audience.

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What precedent exists in TweakTown coverage for how executive stock sales affected product PR crises?

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Sony's own reference post mentions that the "general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs,", but that also includes all media, not just games. Remember that Sony is an entertainment company that also makes movies, TV shows, and music--all of which are expensive.