Sony Computer Entertainment has announced the formation of a new mobile-focused division called ForwardWorks. ForwardWorks will be tasked with building Android and iOS Apps based on PlayStation video game franchises and characters. The new company will be incorporated on the 1st of April 2016, the same Day its Parent Company officially changes its name to Sony Interactive Entertainment.
ForwardWorks: PlayStation Goes Mobile
ForwardWorks is Sony’s attempt at making the most of the opportunities that have been made available through the explosion of mobile device use. The new company will be responsible for the planning, development, and operation content for smart devices through apps.
In its press release, the company describes ForwardWorks as “a new company that is aimed at deploying new services toward the ever-expanding smart device market.” Some would say Sony is a little late to the market, as app stores have grown to millions of entries, some of which have been hugely successful gaming franchises.
Sony may be arriving late to the mobile market but the the Japanese electronics and gaming giant has a vast library from which to create new mobile titles. In addition to a long list of much-loved games and characters which could be simply ported to mobile, there are endless possibilities in making fresh games as well. The company is in much the same boat as Nintendo, which recently released Miitomo, its very first Smartphone app.
In the brief announcement Sony does not specify exactly how ForwardWorks will operate, but the company mentions ‘vigorously maximising’ the business opportunities available to the new company. That’s corporate speak for emptying our wallets to you and me, but the idea is that ForwardWorks will have free reign of all PlayStation Intellectual property, as well as the game development expertise provided by the Parent company.
Here’s more of what the company had to say about ForwardWork’s responsibilities: “ForwardWorks will leverage the intellectual property of the numerous PlayStation® dedicated software titles and its gaming characters as well as the knowledge and know-how of gaming development expertise which was acquired over the years with PlayStation® business to provide gaming application optimized for smart devices including smartphones.”
The new company is basically Sony’s Development division for mobile, a move many PlayStation fans will cheer, but one that may worry rival mobile developers. Based in Tokyo, Japan, ForwardWorks will be headed by Atsushi Morita as President and will start off with an initial capitalisation of 10 million Yen.
