SAN DIEGO, CA & TOKYO, JAPAN (13 de marzo de 2008) — En un movimiento estratégico para afianzarse en el creciente mercado del juego online, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) anuncia hoy que Sony Online Entertainment  (SOE) pasará a depender de Kazuo Hirai, presidente y CEO de SCEI, desde el 1 de abril de 2008. La nueva estructura ha sido diseñada para beneficio de ambas compañías y para acelerar el éxito de PlayStation a través de la experiencia de SOE en el juego online.

“Estoy muy emocionado de poder trabajar con SOE de forma más cercana, ya que los juegos y servicios online han llegado a ser una parte sustancial de la experiencia de juego en PS3,” afirmó Hirai. “Esta nueva estructura nos permitirá coger una gran ventaja gracias a la extensa experiencia de ambas compañías, e incrementar nuestra oferta de entretenimiento a nuestros usuarios.”

SOE, con sede en San Diego, es actualmente parte de Sony Pictures Entertainment.  Bajo la nueva estructura, SOE continuará igualmente desarrollando sus videojuegos para PC y el sistema de entretenimiento electrónico PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3®), pero John Smedley, presidente de SOE, trabajará directamente con Hirai.

“Estamos encantados de pasar a ser parte del increíble equipo que ha hecho con la PLAYSTATION 3 la primera plataforma para la nueva generación de juego online,” afirmó  Smedley. “Gracias a esta unión ampliaremos nuestras posibilidades y expandiremos el desarrollo de nuestros productos en nuevas y apasionantes direcciones.”


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.