Highlights
- Sony is partnering with NCSoft to expand into the mobile gaming market, reflecting its focus on reaching audiences across genres and platforms.
- The partnership aims to build both brands in unison, potentially leading to more game announcements for PlayStation and mobile gaming fans.
- Sony wants to break into the lucrative mobile gaming market, following the rise in popularity and profitability of mobile gaming.
One of the biggest names in gaming, Sony has announced a new partnership with the video game developer and publisher NCSoft. The South Korean company is best known for massively multiplayer online role-playing games, such as Lineage, Aion, and Guild Wars, and offers the potential for Sony to expand into the mobile gaming market.
Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Sony is a multinational conglomerate corporation with divisions specializing in technology, film, music, video games, and more. Sony is the company behind the PlayStation consoles, but the entertainment giant has started turning its attention to mobile gaming. The announcement of a partnership with NCSoft reflects Sony's recent efforts to break into this key sector of the video game market.
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Confirmed in a joint statement by outgoing Sony Interactive Entertainment boss Jim Ryan and NCSoft CEO Taekjin Kim, the two companies have signed a “strategic global business partnership” that will focus on collaboration across multiple fields, including mobile. Both Ryan and Kim issued follow-up comments that heavily emphasized Sony's aim to expand beyond consoles and reach audiences across genres, regions, and platforms.
Though there were no details provided as to the specific projects that the two companies will be working on, it is clear that Sony and NCSoft are looking to build both brands in unison. For fans of PlayStation and mobile gaming, the partnership offers the potential for more game announcements in the future.
“Like SIE, NCSoft shares a similar vision in creating high-quality, impactful entertainment experiences for players everywhere, and together we’re excited to collaborate to push the boundaries of gaming further.” - Jim Ryan, Sony
Sony has previously showcased a desire to push into the mobile gaming market, most notably with the formation of a PlayStation Studios Mobile Division. The company has already begun moving into cloud gaming in an effort to compete with Microsoft. After Microsoft's recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which includes mobile powerhouse King, Sony is looking to enhance its own presence in the mobile sector. Financial reports show that mobile gaming accounted for over 50% of market share in 2022, and that number is expected to increase in the coming years. With the mobile video game industry currently valued at over $90 billion, it should come as no surprise that Sony wants to team up with a company like NCSoft to break into that lucrative market.
As mobile gaming becomes more prevalent and popular, big names like Sony will no doubt continue to find new ways to reach the audiences and consumers on those platforms. Multiplatform games like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail continue to show massive support from mobile players, while also showcasing the profitability of mobile gaming. Sony and NCSoft teaming up to focus on mobile game development may be a partnership that fans will want to keep a close eye on.
