Sony merger will not affect gamers ‘in the short term’

Sony recently announced the merger of Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment, which now comprise the umbrella company Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). The company will serve as headquarters for the PlayStation brand moving forward, but according to SIE President Shawn Layden, will not impact PlayStation platforms anytime terribly soon.

“So what does this mean for you, the gamer?” Layden said on the PlayStation Blog. “If I’m honest, probably not a whole lot—at least not in the short term. But in the long run, it will mean everything.

“The formation of SIE will allow us to forge a unified PlayStation organization that can adapt more quickly to meet the ends of the gaming community, innovate with digital services like PlayStation Vue and PlayStation Now, and—above all else—drive consistent and constant innovation in the dynamic medium of video games.”

In other words, the merger was intended to improve the relationship and, likely, the communication between Sony’s gaming and entertainment divisions—the implications of which will only become noticeable as future projects ramp up.

Layden himself has also changed hats, or rather, gained another. He is now chairman of Worldwide Studios, PlayStation’s first-party studio which oversees such projects as Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Horizon Zero Dawn.

Source: PlayStation Blog