Sony Interactive Entertainment

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Sony Interactive Entertainment

SIE global headquarters in San Mateo, California, U.S.

Native name 株式会社ソニー・インタラクティブエンタ

テインメント

Romanized name Kabushiki gaisha Sonī Intarakutibu

Entateinmento

Formerly Sony Computer Entertainment (1993–2016)

Type Subsidiary

Industry Video games

Founded November 16, 1993; 26 years ago (Tokyo)

April 2016; 4 years ago (San Mateo)
Founder Ken Kutaragi

Headquarters San Mateo, California, United States

Area served Worldwide

Key people Jim Ryan

(President and CEO)
John Kodera
(Deputy President)

Products Video games consoles and handhelds

 PlayStation (PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, PS5)

 PSP
 PS Vita
Accessories and controllers

 PocketStation
 PlayStation Controller
 Dual Analog Controller
 DualShock
 DualSense
Audiokinetic Wwise

Services  PlayStation Network

 PlayStation Video
 PlayStation Store
 PlayStation Now

Parent Sony[1]

Divisions SIE Worldwide Studios

Subsidiaries  Visual Arts Service Group

 Audiokinetic
 Gaikai
 SN Systems
 PlayStation Productions
 Website www.sie.com

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is a multinational video game and digital

entertainment company wholly owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony
Corporation. The SIE Group is made up of three legal corporate entities, which
operate under a single global leadership: Sony Interactive Entertainment
LLC (SIE LLC), based in San Mateo, California, United States and the global
headquarters, Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (SIE Inc.), based in Minato,
Tokyo, Japan, and Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Ltd (SIEE Ltd.),
based in London, United Kingdom.[2] Tokyo-based SIE Inc. was originally founded
as Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI or SCE) in November 1993 to
handle Sony's venture into video game development for
the PlayStation systems.[2] SIE LLC was established in San Mateo in April
2016[2] and is managed through Sony's American hub, Sony Corporation of
America.[1]
Since the launch of the original PlayStation console in 1994, the company has
been developing PlayStation home video game consoles, accessories and
services lineup. The company expanded from Japan into North America and
Europe, where it founded the branches Sony Computer Entertainment
America (SCEA) in May 1995 (in Foster City, California) and Sony Computer
Entertainment Europe (SCEE) in July 1995 (in Liverpool). The company quickly
became Sony's main resource for research and development in video games and
interactive entertainment. In April 2016, SCE and Sony Network Entertainment
International was restructured and reorganized into Sony Interactive Entertainment,
carrying over the operations and primary objectives from both companies. The
same year, SIE LLC was established, with its headquarters in San Mateo,
California.
Sony Interactive Entertainment handles the research and development, production,
and sales of both hardware and software for the PlayStation video game systems.
SIE is also a developer and publisher of video game titles, and operates several
subsidiaries in Sony's largest markets: North America, Europe and Asia. By August
2018, the company had sold more than 525 million PlayStation consoles
worldwide.[3]

Contents

 1History
o 1.1Establishment, PlayStation release, and North American expansion (1993–2005)
o 1.2Creation of SCE Worldwide Studios, acquisitions, and restructure (2005–2011)
o 1.3Launch of PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4, expansion into China (2011–2016)
o 1.4As Sony Interactive Entertainment (2016–present)
 2Corporate affairs
o 2.1Headquarters
o 2.2Game approval
 3Hardware
o 3.1PlayStation
o 3.2PlayStation 2
o 3.3PlayStation Portable
o 3.4PlayStation 3
o 3.5PlayStation Vita
o 3.6PlayStation 4
 4Software development studios
 5Owned franchises and properties
 6See also
 7References
 8External links

History[edit]
Establishment, PlayStation release, and North American expansion
(1993–2005)[edit]
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. (SCEI) was jointly established by Sony and its
subsidiary Sony Music Entertainment Japan in 1993 to handle the company's
ventures into the video game industry.[4] The original PlayStation console was
released on December 3, 1994, in Japan.[5] The company's North American
operations, Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA), were originally
established in May 1995 as a division of Sony Electronic Publishing.[6] Located
in Foster City, California, the North American office was originally headed by Steve
Race.
In the months prior to the release of the PlayStation in Western markets, the
operations were restructured: All video game marketing from Sony Imagesoft was
folded into SCEA in July 1995, with most affected employees transferred
from Santa Monica to Foster City.[7] On August 7, 1995, Race unexpectedly
resigned and was named CEO of Spectrum HoloByte three days later.[7] He was
replaced by Sony Electronics veteran Martin Homlish.[7] This proved to be the
beginning of a run of exceptional managerial turnover, with SCEA going through
four presidents in a single year.[8][9] The PS console was released in the United
States on September 9, 1995.[5] As part of a worldwide restructuring at the
beginning of 1997, SCEA and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) were
both re-established as wholly owned subsidiaries of SCEI.[10][11]
The launch of the second PS console, the PlayStation 2 was released in Japan on
March 4, 2000,[12] and the U.S. on October 26, 2000.[13] On July 1, 2002, chairman of
SCEI, Shigeo Maruyama, was replaced by Tamotsu Iba as chairman. Jack
Tretton and Phil Harrison were also promoted to senior vice presidents of
SCE.[14] The PlayStation Portable (PSP) was SCEI's first foray into the small
handheld console market. Its development was first announced during
SCE's E3 conference in 2003, and it was officially unveiled during their E3
conference on May 11, 2004. The system was released in Japan on December 12,
2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in Europe and Australia on
September 1, 2005.
Creation of SCE Worldwide Studios, acquisitions, and restructure
(2005–2011)[edit]
On September 14, 2005, SCEI formed Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide
Studios (SCE WWS),[15] a single internal entity to oversee all wholly owned
development studios within SCEI. It became responsible for the creative and
strategic direction of development and production of all computer entertainment
software by all SCEI-owned studios—all software is produced exclusively for the
PS family of consoles. Shuhei Yoshida was named as President of SCE WWS on
May 16, 2008,[16] replacing Kazuo Hirai, who was serving interim after Harrison left
the company in early 2008.[17]
On December 8, 2005, video game developer Guerrilla Games, developers of
the Killzone series, was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment as part of its
SCE WWS.[18] On January 24, 2006, video game developer Zipper Interactive,
developers of the Socom series, was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment
as part of its SCE WWS.[19]
In March 2006, Sony announced the online network for its forthcoming PlayStation
3 (PS3) system at the 2006 PlayStation Business Briefing meeting in Tokyo,
Japan,[20] tentatively named "PlayStation Network Platform" and eventually called
just PlayStation Network (PSN). Sony also stated that the service would always be
connected,[21] free,[22] and include multiplayer support.[23]
The launch date for the PS3 was announced by Hirai at the pre-E3 conference
held at the Sony Pictures Studios in Los Angeles, California, on May 8, 2006. The
PS3 was released in Japan on November 11, 2006, and the U.S. date was
November 17, 2006.[24] The PSN was also launched in November 2006.[25]
On November 30, 2006, president of SCEI, Ken Kutaragi, was appointed as
chairman of SCEI, while Hirai, then president of SCEA, was promoted to president
of SCEI.[26] On April 26, 2007, Ken Kutaragi resigned from his position as chairman
of SCEI and group CEO, passing on his duties to the recently appointed president
of SCE, Hirai.[27]
On September 20, 2007, video game developers Evolution Studios and Bigbig
Studios, creators of the MotorStorm series, were acquired by Sony Computer
Entertainment as part of its SCE WWS.[28]
On April 15, 2009, David Reeves, president and CEO of SCE Europe, announced
his forthcoming resignation from his post. He had joined the company in 1995 and
was appointed as chairman of SCEE in 2003, and then president in 2005.[29] His
role of president and CEO of SCEE would be taken over by Andrew House, who
joined Sony Corporation in 1990.[30] The PSP Go was released on October 1, 2009,
for North America and Europe, and on November 1, 2009, for Japan.
On April 1, 2010, SCEI was restructured to bring together Sony's mobile
electronics and personal computers divisions. The main Japanese division of SCEI
was temporarily renamed "SNE Platform Inc." (SNEP) on April 1, 2010, and was
split into two divisions that focused on different aspects: "Sony Computer
Entertainment, Inc.", consisting of 1,300 employees who focused on the console
business, and the network service business consisting of 60 to 70 employees. The
network service business of SCEI was absorbed into Sony Corp's Network
Products & Service Group (NPSG), which had already been headed by Hirai since
April 2009. The original SCEI was then dissolved after the restructuring.[31][32][33]
The North American and European branches of SCEI were affected by the
restructuring, and remained as SCEA and SCEE. Hirai, by that time SCEI CEO
and Sony Corporation EVP, led both departments.[34]
On March 2, 2010, video game developer Media Molecule, developers of the
PlayStation 3 (PS3) game LittleBigPlanet, was acquired by SCEI as part of its SCE
WWS.[35] On August 23, 2010, the headquarters of the company moved
from Minami-Aoyama to the Sony City [ja] (Sony Corporation's headquarters) in
Kōnan, Minato, Tokyo.[36] On April 20, 2011, SCEI was the victim of an attack on
its PlayStation Network system, which also affected its online division, Sony Online
Entertainment. On August 1, 2011, video game developer Sucker Punch
Productions, developers of the Sly Cooper and Infamous series, was also
acquired.[37]
Launch of PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4, expansion into China
(2011–2016)[edit]
In January 2012, BigBig Studios was closed and Cambridge Studio—
renamed Guerrilla Cambridge—becoming a sister studio of Guerrilla Games.[38][39] In
March 2012, Zipper Interactive, developers of the SOCOM series, MAG and Unit
13, was closed.[40] On June 25, 2012, Hirai retired as chairman of Sony Computer
Entertainment; however, he remains on the board of directors.[41]
On July 2, 2012, Sony Computer Entertainment acquired Gaikai, a cloud-based
gaming service.[42] In August 2012, Sony Liverpool, developer of
the Wipeout and Formula One series, was closed.[43]
A press release was published on August 20, 2013, announcing the release date of
the PlayStation 4 (PS4) console. On that date, SCEI introduced the CUH-1000A
series system, and announced the launch date as November 15, 2013, for North
American markets and November 29, 2013, for European, Australasian and
Central and South American markets.[44]
Following a January 2014 announcement by the Chinese government that the
country's 14-year game console ban would be lifted, the PS4 was scheduled to be
the first Sony video game console to be officially and legally released in China
since the PlayStation 2.[45][46]
On March 6, 2014, Sony Computer Entertainment of America President and CEO,
Tretton, announced he was resigning from his position at the end of the month,
citing a mutual agreement between himself and SCEA for the cessation of his
contract. Tretton had worked at SCEA since 1995 and was a founding member of
the company's executive team. He was involved in the launch of all PlayStation
platforms in North America, including the original PlayStation, PS2, PSP, PS3,
PSN, PS Vita, and PS4. Tretton was replaced by Shawn Layden, who was the
vice-president and chief operating officer (COO) of Sony Network Entertainment
International, effective April 1, 2014.[47] On April 2, 2015, it was announced that
Sony Computer Entertainment had acquired the intellectual property of the cloud
gaming service OnLive, and that its services would cease by the end of the
month.[48]
The beta version of Sony's first-ever cloud-based television service, PlayStation
Vue (PSVue), was launched in the U.S. in November 2014. It was only offered on
an invite-only basis for PS3 and PS4 users, prior to its official launch in early 2015.
Sony signed deals with major networks, including CBS, Discovery, Fox, and
Viacom, so that users can view live streaming video, as well as catch up and on-
demand content, from more than 75 channels, such as Comedy Central and
Nickelodeon. Although pricing and release dates for other regions was not
publicized, Sony confirmed that PSVue will eventually be available on iPad,
followed by other Sony and non-Sony devices.[49]