For quite some time, both Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment have created products branded with the PlayStation name. Now, in what Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) President and CEO Shawn Layden calls “an important new moment in PlayStation history,” the two companies are joining forces.
The new company, announced today, will be called simply Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), and will “serve as the headquarters for everything PlayStation.” The company will be headquartered in the U.S. in San Mateo, California, but will also have business operations in Tokyo and London. The firm will officially begin operations on Friday, April 1.
Previously, Sony Computer Entertainment was the home of PlayStation hardware and software – think the PS4, PS3, PS Vita, and first-party games. Sony Network Entertainment, on the other hand, was the home of other software and services like the PlayStation Store and the PlayStation Vue TV streaming service.
“The formation of SIE will create an even stronger PlayStation,” Layden wrote on the PlayStation Blog. “That means an even bigger emphasis on developing pioneering platforms like PS4 and PlayStation VR, world-class games from our World Wide Studios development teams, and innovative network services such as PlayStation Vue.”
Andrew House, president and global CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, will now serve in the same position as the head of Sony Interactive Entertainment. Head of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida will keep that title, but will now report to Layden.
“By integrating the strengths of PlayStation’s hardware, software, content, and network operations, SIE will become an even stronger entity, with a clear objective to further accelerate the growth of the PlayStation business,” House said in the press release announcing the new company. “Along with our business partners, SIE will develop pioneering services and products that will continue to inspire consumers’ imaginations and lead the market.”
This is a logical business move, as Sony’s PlayStation division is one of its biggest sources of revenue, but it doesn’t seem that consumers will see many changes at first.
