Sony is gearing up to foray into the mobile gaming industry with five new titles in 2018. According to reports, the popular smartphone manufacturer is planning to launch at least five games meant for smartphones by the end of March 2018. The new games will target Japan and other Asian markets including India.
As per reports coming in from Nikkei, Sony Interactive Entertainment will offer new smartphone games based on its popular PlayStation series. Moreover, the development of the new games will be handled by Forward Works, which is the gaming department of the company.
Sony to release fresh versions of old games
As part of the new games, Sony will also release refresh releases of old games that are not compatible with PlayStation’s latest hardware. This means you can be able to play vintage games with the latest mobile hardware. Furthermore, the new games will probably establish connectivity with consoles. Sony is expected to announce the titles of the games by the end of 2016.
Pokemon Go is a classic example of Sony’s dominance
Industry analysts are of the opinion that there is a huge market for mobile gaming segment. They indicate Pokemon Go as a classic example since the augmented reality game went viral worldwide.
Even gamers from those countries which don’t have access to Pokemon Go downloaded the APK file and played the game. The game itself managed to fetch millions of dollars for Niantic and Nintendo through in-app purchases. However, Sony’s share in the smartphone industry continues to decline since space has been occupied by Samsung.
Meanwhile, ForwardWorks, which is the gaming arm of Sony was formed in early 2016. The company was formed with a sole objective of taking advantage of PlayStation-centric software titles and bringing them to smartphones.
Mario Run for iOS launched during iPhone 7 launch
During the launch of Apple iPhone 7, Nintendo announced the launch of Super Mario Run for iOS. Hence, Sony continues to realise the growing importance of mobile gaming.
In 2014, Sony sold its PC business with the brand VAIO to Japan Industrial Partners. According to market watchers, this is seen as an attempt to restructure the company and focus on smartphone segment.
Even though Sony failed to make any impact in the smartphone industry, the PlayStation console segment has been doing exceptionally well. According to a report issued by Business Insider, Sony has sold 40 million units of the PlayStation 4 (PS4) consoles since its launch in November 2013.
