Sony Computer Entertainment

Sony Computer Entertainment

Type	Subsidiary of Sony
Industry	Video game industry
Founded	November 16, 1993
Headquarters	Kōnan, Minato, Tokyo, Japan Foster City, California, USA Toronto, Canada London, United Kingdom Melbourne, Australia Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Key people	Kazuo Hirai: President & Group CEO, SCEI Jack Tretton: President & CEO, SCEA Andrew House: President & CEO, SCEE Shuhei Yoshida: President, SCE Worldwide Studios Ken Kutaragi: Honorary Chairman, SCEI
Products	PlayStation 3 PlayStation Portable PlayStation 2 PSX PlayStation PocketStation
Revenue	$10.746 billion (2008)^[1]
Total assets	$50.5 billion
Owner(s)	Sony Corporation
Parent	Sony
Website	www.scei.co.jp PlayStation

Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. (株式会社ソニー・コンピュータエンタテインメント, Kabushikigaisha sonīkonpyūtaentateinmento^?) (SCEI) is a video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a full subsidiary of Sony. The company was established on November 16, 1993, in Tokyo, prior to the launch of the original PlayStation video game system. The logo has been used since 1994.

SCE handles the research & development, production, and sales of both hardware and software for the PlayStation line of handheld and home console video game systems. SCE is also a developer and publisher of video game titles and is composed of several subsidiaries covering the company's biggest markets: North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia.

History

Origins

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. was established on November 16, 1993 as a joint venture company of Sony Corporation and Sony Music Entertainment.^[2] This was after Ken Kutaragi's PlayStation project - although supported by Sony Corp. president Norio Ohga - met opposition from within Sony where upper management considered "toys" beneath them and feared damage to the Sony brand.^[3]^[4] Ken Kutaragi worked closely with Sony Music CEO Shigeo Maruyama and Akira Sato in the formation of SCEI.

After its formation Sony Computer Entertainment maintained close ties with Sony Music which helped it attract creative talent and imparted its knowledge with regards to the use of CD-ROMs. The company was originally formed with Terry Tokunaka the President of SCEI from Sony's headquarters as President though, Ken Kutaragi was the original head of the PlayStation project. Ken Kutaragi would later go on to become President of Sony Computer Entertainment as well as being known as the "Father of PlayStation".^[4]

The North American operations, Sony Computer Entertainment of America, were established in May 1994 as a division of Sony Electronic Publishing.^[5] They were located in Foster City and headed by Steve Race. In the months prior to the release of PlayStation in Western markets, the operations were restructured: All videogame marketing from Sony Imagesoft was folded into SCEA in July 1985, with most affected employees transferred from Santa Monica to Foster City.^[6]^[7] On August 7, 1985, Steve Race unexpectedly resigned and was named CEO of Spectrum HoloByte three days later.^[7] He was replaced by Sony Electronics veteran Martin Homlish.^[7]

As part of a worldwide restructuring at the beginning of 1997, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., headquartered in Foster City was reestablished as a wholly owned subsidiary of SCEI.^[8]

Recent (2000-2009)

On July 1, 2002 Chairman of SCE, Shigeo Maruyama, was replaced by Tamotsu Iba as Chairman. Jack Tretton and Phil Harrison were also promoted to Senior Vice President of SCE.^[9]

On September 14, 2005, SCE formed Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS)^[10], a single internal entity overseeing all wholly owned development studios within SCE. It is responsible for the creative and strategic direction of development and production of all computer entertainment software by all SCE-owned studios, all of which is produced exclusively for the PlayStation family of consoles. Shuhei Yoshida was named as President of SCE WWS on May 16, 2008,^[11] replacing Kazuo Hirai, who was serving interim after inaugural SCE WWS President Phil Harrison left the company in early 2008.^[12]

On November 30, 2006 President of SCE Ken Kutaragi was appointed as Chairman of SCE while Kazuo Hirai, President of SCEA was promoted to President of SCE.^[13] On April 26, 2007 Ken Kutaragi resigned from his position as Chairman of SCE and Group CEO passing on his duties to President of SCE, Kazuo Hirai.^[14]

On April 15, 2009 David Reeves President and CEO of SCE Europe announced that he would be resigning from his post. He had joined the company in 1995 and was appointed as Chairman of SCEE in 2003 and President in 2005.^[15] His role of President and CEO of SCEE would be taken over by Andrew House who joined Sony Corporation in 1990.^[16]

On December 8, 2005, video game developer Guerrilla Games, developers of the Killzone series, was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment as part of its SCE WWS.^[17] On January 24, 2006 video game developer Zipper Interactive, developers of the SOCOM series, was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment as part of its SCE WWS.^[18] On September 20, 2007 video game developers Evolution Studios and Bigbig Studios, developers of the MotorStorm series, were acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment as part of its SCE WWS.^[19]

Present (2010)

On April 1, 2010 Sony Computer Entertainment was restructured to bring together Sony's mobile electronics and personal computers divisions. The main Japanese division of SCE was temporarily renamed to "SNE Platform Inc." (SNEP) on April 1, 2010 and split into two division focusing on different aspects namely "Sony Computer Entertainment Inc." consisting of a 1,300 employees which focus on the console business, and the network service business consisting of 60 to 70 employees. The network service business of SCE was absorbed into Sony Corp's Network Products & Service Group (NPSG) which has already been headed by Kaz Hirai since April 2009. The original Sony Computer Entertainment was then dissolved after the restructure.^[20]^[21]^[22] The North American and European branches of Sony Computer Entertainment was affected by the restructure and will remain as SCEA and SCEE. Sony Computer Entertainment CEO and Sony Corporation EVP, Kaz Hirai, is leading both departments.^[23] On March 2, 2010 video game developer Media Molecule, developers of the PlayStation 3 game LittleBigPlanet, was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment as part of its SCE WWS.^[24] As of August 23, 2010, the headquarters of the company moved from Minami-Aoyama to the Sony City (Sony Corporation's headquarters) in Kōnan, Minato, Tokyo.^[25]

Hardware

Main article: PlayStation

PlayStation brand logo

Sony Computer Entertainment produces the PlayStation family of video game hardware consisting of consoles and handhelds. Sony's first wide home console release, the PlayStation (codenamed PSX during development, currently PSOne), was initially designed to be a CD-ROM drive add-on for Nintendo's Super Nintendo Entertainment System (a.k.a. Super Famicom in Japan) video game console, in response to Sega's Sega CD. When the prospect of releasing the system as an add-on dissolved, Sony redesigned the machine into a stand alone unit. The PlayStation was released in Japan on December 3, 1994 and later in North America on September 9, 1995. Currently the highest selling home console of all time, SCE's second home console, the PlayStation 2 (PS2 or PSX2) was released in Japan on March 4, 2000, and later in North America and Europe in October and November 2000, respectively. The PS2 is powered by a proprietary central processing unit, the Emotion Engine, and was the first video game console to have DVD playback functionality included out of the box. Initially, the system was criticized for its complex development environment, due mainly to the proprietary hardware included, however despite these complaints the PlayStation 2 received widespread support from third party developers throughout its lifespan on the market. Today it has sold up to 150 million units world wide.

Current generation products

The newest home console in the PlayStation family, as well as Sony's entry in the seventh-generation of consoles, the PlayStation 3 (PS3) was launched in November 2006. It utilizes a unique processing architecture, the Cell microprocessor, a proprietary technology developed by Sony in conjunction with Toshiba and IBM. The graphics processing unit, the RSX 'Reality Synthesizer', was co-developed by Nvidia and Sony. Several variations of the PS3 have been released, each with slight hardware and software differences, each denoted by the varying size of the included hard disk drive. The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is SCE's first foray into the small handheld console market, which was and to this date still is dominated by Nintendo. Its development was first announced during SCE's E3 conference in 2003, and it was officially unveiled during their E3 conference on May 11, 2004. The system was released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005 and in Europe and Australia on September 1, 2005. The console has since seen two major redesigns, with new features including a smaller size, more internal memory, a better quality LCD screen and a lighter weight. A new design, the PSP Go, was released on October 1, 2009 for North America and Europe and on November 1, 2009 for Japan. It has a 3.8" LCD which slides up to reveal the main controls. The PSP Go is 45% lighter and 56% smaller than the original PSP and does not support UMD. The device does support Bluetooth and will be completely digital meaning all media must be downloaded or transferred to the device which has 16 GB of internal flash memory.

Software development studios

Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS) is a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment, it is a group of video game developers which are fully owned by Sony Computer Entertainment.

Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS) Internally Owned Studios
Japan SCE Japan Studio – Ape Escape, Siren, LocoRoco, Patapon, Ico, The Last Guardian Polyphony Digital – Gran Turismo series, Motor Toon Grand Prix 2, Tourist Trophy, Omega Boost United States Naughty Dog – Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter series, Uncharted series SCE Santa Monica Studio – Kinetica, God of War series, Warhawk with Incognito Entertainment SCE San Diego Studio – NBA, MLB: The Show, Modnation Racers Sony Bend – Syphon Filter, Resistance: Retribution Sony Online Entertainment – EverQuest Zipper Interactive – SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs series, MAG Europe SCE London Studio – SingStar, Eyetoy, PlayStation Home with SCE Studio Cambridge SCE Cambridge Studio – MediEvil, PlayTV, PlayStation Home with SCE London Studio SCE Liverpool Studio – Wipeout, F1 Evolution Studios – MotorStorm series, World Rally Championship Bigbig Studios – Pursuit Force, MotorStorm: Arctic Edge Guerrilla Games – Killzone series Media Molecule – LittleBigPlanet series Defunct Incognito Entertainment – Warhawk with SCE Studios Santa Monica, Twisted Metal series, Downhill Domination, Calling All Cars

Since its inception in 1993, SCE has also built up a large stable of third party developers that it often collaborates with in a variety of manners, from publishing to funding to co-development. These companies are however not owned or under contract by SCE, and some, unlike the studios within SCE WWS, also release and develop products in cooperation with competing video game developers and publishers, and for competing handheld and/or home consoles as well.

Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS) Second Party Studio Partners
Japan Level-5 - White Knight Chronicles, Dark Cloud Clap Hanz – Everybody's Golf, Everybody's Tennis^[26] Game Republic – Folklore, Genji Q-Games – PixelJunk series Media.Vision – Wild Arms NanaOn-Sha - Parappa the Rapper series, Vib Ribbon North America Insomniac Games – Spyro the Dragon, Resistance series (excluding Resistance: Retribution), Ratchet & Clank series Sucker Punch Productions – inFamous, inFamous 2, Sly Cooper series ThatGameCompany – Flow, Flower, Journey Ready at Dawn Studios – God of War: Chains of Olympus, Daxter High Impact Games – Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, Secret Agent Clank, Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Eat Sleep Play – Twisted Metal: Head On, Twisted Metal PS3 Slant Six Games – SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3 LightBox Interactive Titan Studios - Fat Princess, Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake United Front Games - ModNation Racers Europe Quantic Dream – Heavy Rain Tarsier Studios – Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic Relentless Software – Buzz! EPOS Game Studios - Crash Commando Novarama - Invizimals

Owned franchises and properties

Ape Escape Buzz! Colony Wars Dark Cloud Destruction Derby Dog's Life Dropship: United Peace Force Extermination EyeToy FantaVision Folklore Gangs of London Genji Getaway, The Ghosthunter God of War Gran Turismo Hardware	Heavenly Sword Hot Shots Golf Ico inFamous Intelligent Qube Jak and Daxter Jet Moto Jumping Flash! Killzone Kinetica Lair The Last Guardian The Legend of Dragoon Lemmings LittleBigPlanet LocoRoco	MAG The Mark of Kri MediEvil ModNation Racers Motor Toon Grand Prix MotorStorm Okage: Shadow King Omega Boost PaRappa the Rapper Patapon PoPoLoCrois Primal Pursuit Force Rally Cross Ratchet & Clank Rise of the Kasai Resistance Rogue Galaxy Shadow of the Colossus	SingStar Siren Sly Cooper SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Syphon Filter Tourist Trophy Twisted Metal Uncharted War of the Monsters Warhawk Wipeout White Knight Chronicles

Corporate affairs

SCEA headquarters in Foster City, California.

The Chairman and Group CEO of SCE is currently Kazuo Hirai, who on November 30, 2006 replaced longtime CEO Ken Kutaragi, also known as "The Father of the PlayStation".^[27] Kuturagi officially retired from his executive position at SCE on June 19, 2007, and now holds the title of Honorary Chairman at the company.^[28] Jack Tretton and Andrew House currently serve as President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, respectively.

Headquarters

SCE currently has three main headquarters around the world: Minami-Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo, Japan (Sony Computer Entertainment Japan & Sony Computer Entertainment Asia) which control operations in Asia; Foster City, California, USA (Sony Computer Entertainment America) which controls operations in North America; and London, United Kingdom (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe) which controls operations in Europe and Oceania. SCE also has smaller offices and distribution centres in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Melbourne, Australia; and Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea.

President

1994-2006 - Ken Kutaragi
2006-Present - Kaz Hirai

Chairman

1994-2002 - Shigeo Maruyama
2002-2006 - Tamotsu Iba
2006-2007 - Ken Kutaragi

Vice-Chairman

2005-Present - Akira Sato

Group Chief Executive Officer

1993-2007 - Ken Kutaragi
2007-Present - Kaz Hirai

Group Chief Operations Officer

2002-Present - Kaz Hirai

Group Chief Financial Officer

2002-Present - Masaru Kato

Deputy President

2002-Present - Jack Tretton
1994-Present - Masaru Kato
1994-Present - Kazuo Hirai
2002-Present - Shigeru Nishimura
2002-Present - Jim Ryan
1994-2005 - Akira Sato
2002-2008 - Phil Harrison
2002-2008 - David Reeves

Honorary President

2007-Present - Ken Kutaragi

Board of Directors

As of November 1, 2006:

Ken Kutaragi
Akira Sato
Kazuo Hirai
Masaru Kato
David Reeves
Howard Stringer
Ryoji Chubachi
Kenshi Manabe
Shigeo Maruyama^[27]

SCE Worldwide Studios President

2005-2008 - Phil Harrison
2008 - Kazuo Hirai
2008-Present - Shuhei Yoshida