Sony: Perverse to Restrict First-Party IP to PlayStation Community, Mobile News Coming Soon

Sony is breaking down barriers for PlayStation’s biggest intellectual property, as part of a multi-faceted strategy that will see the release of television shows, movies, and, yes, smartphone games. The platform holder has been hiring for a new mobile-focused division for a little while, and boss Jim Ryan has hinted that we’ll see the “first fruits of this sooner than you might think”.

As part of an interview with Axios, the Geordie executive outlined his organisation’s reason for exploring smartphones: “The thinking here is that our IP portfolio is in such a strong state right now, it seems perverse to restrict enjoyment of it to our existing PlayStation community.” It’s a quote that we can’t imagine sitting well with Sony enthusiasts, but there it is.

Ryan wouldn’t say whether PlayStation will be developing the mobile games in-house or acquiring new studios to do that, but it sounds like this is an initiative being spear-headed by the very top of the company – it’s not some throwaway whim. “We are working on a number of models to open up mobile,” he revealed, vaguely.

It’s an interesting time for Sony, as it looks to new audiences and revenue streams to expand the reach of its brands. Obviously, everything links back to the experiences it offers on the PS5, but for the first time in the business’ history, the firm is quite literally thinking outside the box. Whether any of this will pay off, of course, remains to be seen.