ONY
COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT
AND SONY NETWORK ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCE THE FORMATION OF
SONY
INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LLC
New
Company joins the forces of PlayStation® Business Units to Deliver
Unprecedented Experiences to Users Worldwide;
Effective
Friday, April 1, 2016
Tokyo, Japan, and San Mateo,
Calif., January 26, 2016 –
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) and Sony Network Entertainment
International LLC (SNEI) announced the formation of Sony Interactive
Entertainment LLC (SIE), a new company that joins the forces of all
business units belonging to SCE and SNEI, including hardware,
software, content and network services operations. SIE will be
headquartered in San Mateo, California, the United States, while also
establishing key global business operations in Tokyo and London,
beginning Friday, April 1, 2016.
“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,” said
Andrew House, President and Global CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment
Inc. and Group Executive in charge of Network Entertainment of Sony
Corporation. “Along with our business partners, SIE will develop
pioneering services and products that will continue to inspire
consumers’ imaginations and lead the market. We will work hard to
maximize corporate value by coordinating global business operations
across San Mateo, Tokyo, and London by leveraging local expertise.”
- Background and Purpose behind Establishment of SIE LLC
SCE, established in November
1993, first launched the original PlayStation® system in Japan in
December 1994, bringing a completely new market of entertainment
through gaming. Since then, SCE has continued to innovate and
introduce unprecedented features with every generation, including the
current PlayStation®4 system, and has revolutionized the world of
computer entertainment. Furthermore, SCE has delivered compelling
gaming experiences to users worldwide on each PlayStation platform
through features that are available on the high-performance hardware
developed by the company, and brought to life by the wide variety of
highly acclaimed software titles from SCE Worldwide Studios and third
party developers and publishers.
SNEI, established in April 2010,
has been providing a robust portfolio of unparalleled network
services through the premium entertainment service brand,
PlayStation™Network (PSNSM).
SNEI’s offerings include game-related services, such as
PlayStation®Store, a premier destination for users to purchase
digital games and other gaming content; PlayStation®Plus, a
membership service that provides a wide array of exclusive gaming
features and content; and PlayStation™Now, a streaming game service
that allows users to enjoy a wide range of PlayStation®3 games on
various network-enabled devices. Other innovative network services
available on PSN include PlayStation™Vue, a pioneering cloud-based
TV service that reinvents the television experience;
PlayStation™Video, a video-on-demand and transactional service that
enables users to enjoy an in-depth catalog of movies and TV shows;
and PlayStation™Music, a music listening destination that offers
Spotify’s best-in-class music experience.
Since its launch in November
2013, PlayStation 4 continues to demonstrate record-breaking global
expansion and growth, while PSN, which began full scale operation in
November 2006, continues to expand with new offerings reaching
millions of users every day. At the same time, the market
environments of hardware, software, content and network services are
ever evolving, and it has become important for both SCE and SNEI to
unify their business strengths under one entity with a single focus,
ensuring PlayStation continues to offer ground-breaking entertainment
experiences to consumers around the world.
Through the formation of SIE, the
companies combine resources across their hardware, software, content
and fast-growing network businesses, positioning the company for
enhanced competitiveness, continued expansion and market leadership
in all areas. SIE will better respond to the needs of consumers and
the evolving digital market to deliver unparalleled interactive
entertainment experiences under the PlayStation brand.
- Corporate Strategy and Financial Target
Key corporate strategies of SIE
are: retain and expand PlayStation user engagement, increase Average
Revenue Per Paying Users (ARPPU) and drive ancillary revenue. SIE
will vigorously expand the PlayStation business by delivering an
integrated experience built around best-in-class games and network
services to consumers worldwide.
Furthermore, as the Game and
Network Service segment within Sony Group, SIE will work on expanding
sales and operating income, and continue to target 1,400 to 1,600
billion yen for sales, and 5 percent to 6 percent operating income
margin for the Fiscal Year ending March 2018.
- Outline of SIE LLC
- Name: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC
- Location: San Mateo, California, the United States
- Principal of Business: Research, development and sales of PlayStation® hardware, software, content and network services
- Capital: 2 million USD
- Date of Incorporation: Friday, April 1st of 2016
- Fiscal Year End: March 31st
- Directors in Charge and Member of the Board: Reference below
- Directors in Charge and Member of the Board of SIE LLC
Andrew House, President and Global CEO
Kazuo Miura, Deputy President
John (Tsuyoshi) Kodera, Deputy President
Kazuo Hirai
Kenichiro Yoshida
- Overview of Global Functions
