Sony Online Entertainment joins Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

[Shin-Ra]

SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC. AND SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT LEVERAGE EXPERTISE IN THE COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

SAN DIEGO, CA & TOKYO, JAPAN (March 13, 2008) – In a strategic move to closely align itself with the strong growth of the worldwide online gaming market, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) announced today that Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) will report to Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO, SCEI, effective April 1, 2008. The new structure is designed to mutually benefit both companies by further accelerating the PlayStation business through SOE’s strong online gaming expertise.

I am excited to be able to work with SOE even more closely, as online games and services become a more integral part of the PS3 entertainment experience,” Hirai said. “This new structure will allow us to take full advantage of the extensive breadth of expertise of the two companies and increase our range of exciting entertainment offerings to our consumers.”

San Diego-based SOE is currently part of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Under the new structure, SOE will continue to develop its games for the PC and the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3®) computer entertainment system, and SOE President John Smedley will report to Hirai.

“We are thrilled to become a part of the incredible team that has made PLAYSTATION 3 the premier platform for next generation online gaming,” said Smedley. “This move is going to broaden our capabilities and expand the development of our products into new and exciting directions.”

About Sony Online Entertainment

Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, Untold Legends™, and PlanetSide®, as well as for developing Star Wars Galaxies™, SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities while introducing new genres on various entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional development studios in Austin, TX, Seattle, WA, Denver, CO and Taiwan, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development.

About Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Recognized as the global leader and company responsible for the progression of consumer-based computer entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) manufacturers, distributes and markets the PlayStation® game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system and the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3®) system. PlayStation has revolutionized home entertainment by introducing advanced 3D graphic processing, and PlayStation 2 further enhances the PlayStation legacy as the core of home networked entertainment. PSP is a new handheld entertainment system that allows users to enjoy 3D games, with high-quality full-motion video, and high-fidelity stereo audio. PS3 is an advanced computer system, incorporating the state-of-the-art Cell processor with super computer like power. SCEI, along with its subsidiary divisions Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd., and Sony Computer Entertainment Korea Inc. develops, publishes, markets and distributes software, and manages the third party licensing programs for these platforms in the respective markets worldwide. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is an independent business unit of the Sony Group.

[aphex]

awesome, awesome to the max!

ps3's future is very bright.

[ezcobar411]

I'm hoping to see SOE really get back on track now that they are connect with SCEI. I expect big thing from you SOE, you hear me. No more of those Untold Legends fiascos. Well for the PS3 at least. I enjoyed them on the PSP. lol

[Shin-Ra]

With SOE and NCsoft on board, PS3 certainly won't be lacking MMO and 'casual' games.



Toro: "let's celebrate with ice cream"

[darkpoet25]

Does this include the game The Agency as well?

[ezcobar411]

Originally Posted by darkpoet25

Does this include the game The Agency as well?

it should. SOE is making The Agency

[ezcobar411]

Originally Posted by Shin-Ra

With SOE and NCsoft on board, PS3 certainly won't be lacking MMO and 'casual' games.



Toro: "let's celebrate with ice cream"

That's what I was thinking. I can see this greatly improving the the PS Store as well with the casual games

[Shin-Ra]

Upcoming Sony Published Games

So far they've got The Agency, DC Universe, Free Realms, Hancock, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune lined up for PS3.

[ezcobar411]

I'll be getting 4 of those at least

[Copywriter]

Originally Posted by Shin-Ra

Upcoming Sony Published Games

So far they've got The Agency, DC Universe, Free Realms, Hancock, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune lined up for PS3.

At the risk of sounding like too much of a nerd, I'll be interested to see how Jeopardy turns out. Nothing like self-humiliation when you can't answer 75% of the questions right.

Sony is in full "can-o-whoop-ass" mode now. At the end of last year I had 3 PS3 games and only played 2 more than a couple of hours. I figured I'd buy 3-4 this year. Wrong.

[Shin-Ra]

Sony have more than enough exclusive games, most people just don't seem to know about them yet.

[Heart_Collector]

So does this mean more online games may be inter-media (or whatever it would be called), so PS3 and PC players can go at it? It would be interesting on FPS and MMO's

[jubei29]

Damn, DC Universe is still in the works. I was pumped for that game 3 years ago when it was announced, because Jim Lee was attached to it. I didn't even know it was still in the works. That's awesome news!

[Icemage]

Sony needed to do something about SOE. Their offerings have been historically very poor, and it's testament to the mismanagement present that promising games like Star Wars Galaxies were driven into the ground.

Hopefully Krazy Kaz has a good influence on them and holds them to a higher standard.

[Shin-Ra]

SOE's John Smedley: PS3 MMO could rival World of Warcraft

"I absolutely do [think we'll see that], and in fact I think by having a stable platform where every customer has an online capable box is a huge, huge potential advantage in building an MMO because you've already got an online userbase.

“It's a massive advantage over the PC and we don't have to worry about graphics cards or things like that. It's going to be very big. Console online gaming in general I think is going to be one of the next huge phases of growth in the online gaming space."

[dk3dknight]

Originally Posted by Copywriter

At the risk of sounding like too much of a nerd, I'll be interested to see how Jeopardy turns out. Nothing like self-humiliation when you can't answer 75% of the questions right.

Sony is in full "can-o-whoop-ass" mode now. At the end of last year I had 3 PS3 games and only played 2 more than a couple of hours. I figured I'd buy 3-4 this year. Wrong.

How about when you lose it plays "I lost on jeopardy baby..." from my personal favorite weird al.

[Rapstah]

I still don't feel comfortable paying a monthly fee to play MMOs.

[dk3dknight]

Not all mmos have monthly fees, look at guild wars.