Sony wants to 'aggressively' push into the mobile gaming market following the success of Pokemon Go
Following the success of Nintendo's Pokemon Go, Sony has said it wants to push into the mobile gaming arena.
Sony Mobile Gaming
Speaking to the Financial Times, the tech giant's chief executive Kaz Hirai said: “[Mobile gaming] is something we are aggressively getting into. It’s quite a shift from being just a console-based business to being on mobile phones as well."
The PlayStation owner cited rival Nintendo's runaway gaming hit Pokemon Go as the inspiration behind its renewed focus on the space.
“Pokemon Go is a real game-changer. I’m very interested in the fact that it has the potential to really change the way people move, literally," noted Hirai.
Sony has previously tried to enter mobile gaming by linking its Xperia line of smartphones with PlayStation ports, and it has also published several smartphone apps.
Sony's efforts so far have mainly centred on its flagship console, but in a bid to keep up with competitors the company's boss said it's keen to focus on augmented reality (AR) going forward, noting that the technology – which was used in Pokemon Go – was a "great innovative idea that’s going to lift all boats for the video game industry."
As such, the tech behemoth created a new arm, dubbed ForwardWorks, which will focus solely on creating new mobile games earlier this year. Although the division opened last April, it has yet to release a title - when it does however, the Asian market will a primary focus for Sony.
“Mobile gaming is a very important part of the Japanese market and therefore we’ve created a wholly-owned subsidiary that’s completely dedicated to mobile gaming. They’ll be coming out with titles,” asserted Hirai.