Sony\'s profit disappoints as weaker games biz overshadows record result

New horizons, new adventures.

Sony's corporate journey has given a powerful narrative to investors who drove its shares to an 11-year high in September after the Japanese firm began reinventing itself with the 2.3 billion dollar purchase of EMI last year.

In so doing, it became the word's largest music publisher - artists like Pink, DJ Calving Harris and Kanye West on its books.

And it does appear to be paying off.

On Friday, Sony announcing - at $3.5 billion - its highest ever quarterly profit - largely due to that move.

Why then, the disappointment among analysts?

First off: the figure missed forecasts.

Second, while the future looks bright in some divisions, it's getting gloomier in others.

Sony's film business was a boost to the bottom line.

In part, to a surprise success of the film Venom.

But sales of PlayStation 4 slowed - operating profit in its gaming division slumped 14 per cent and it has cut its profit outlook for imaging sensors - along with revenue forecast for mobile handsets.

Sony and its boss Kenichiro Yoshida are holding to a target for a record year but such concerns have seen its shares lose a quarter since their September heights.

Sony's journey far from over yet.