Sony Computer Entertainment America president and CEO Jack Tretton today announced that the company is working on mobile PlayStation games. “We’re really excited about it,” Tretton said during Sony’s press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). “We’re going to be able to bring our great franchises to mobile in a way that’s really special.” Tretton didn’t provide any further details, but he hinted that some of Sony’s biggest franchises, such as Uncharted and God of War, could make their way to mobile devices. He also said that Sony is open to licensing its games to other platforms, including Facebook and Apple’s iOS. “We want our content to be available everywhere,” Tretton said. “That’s what we’re all about.” This news comes just a few months after Sony announced that it was shutting down its PlayStation Mobile platform. The platform was designed for smaller developers who wanted to create games for smartphones and tablets, but it never caught on with consumers or developers. With the rise of mobile gaming platforms like Apple’s iOS and Google Play Store, Sony decided it was time to end support for PlayStation Mobile. ..
Sony has created a PlayStation Studios Mobile Division, with the express purpose of producing smartphone games using “new and existing PlayStation IP.” For that, the company has also acquired Savage Game Studios, a game developer based in Helsinki and Berlin, to integrate it into its new division. Before the acquisition, the studio had yet to release any game, although Sony says that the studio was working on an unannounced “new AAA mobile live service action game.” This will presumably see the light under the PlayStation banner now.
This new push is part of Sony’s ongoing efforts to bring its games and brands to more people without needing them to own PlayStation hardware. PCs are more popular than ever, so they were a good starting point for that. Smartphones are another massive potential market as well, and one that Sony’s competitors have already embraced. Nintendo has mobile games like Animal Crossing Pocket Camp and Mario Kart Tour, while Microsoft has many Xbox games playable on mobile devices through Xbox Game Pass Cloud Gaming.
We don’t exactly expect the same, full AAA games you currently play on consoles/computers to land on your phone. According to Hermel Hurst, head of PlayStation Studios, the company’s mobile gaming efforts will “provide more ways for people to engage with our content,” while also “striving to reach new audiences unfamiliar with PlayStation and our games.”
Will we see a new Uncharted, The Last of Us, or Ratchet and Clank game on our phones soon? Only time will tell.
Source: Sony, The Verge
