Sony is creating a new internal company to produce mobile games and apps, the entertainment conglomerate announced on Thursday.

The new subsidiary, ForwardWorks, will officially deploy on Apr. 1, the same day Sony Computer Entertainment’s region-specific divisions will merge into a singular entity called Sony Interactive Entertainment. ForwardWorks will fall under the SIE banner, and will operate under the supervision of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan president Atsushi Morita.

The announcement outlined ForwardWorks’ mission thusly: “ForwardWorks will leverage the intellectual property of the numerous PlayStation dedicated software titles and its gaming characters as well as the knowledge and know-how of gaming development expertise which was acquired over the years with PlayStation business to provide gaming application optimized for smart devices including smartphones to users in Japan and Asia.” The announcement specified iOS and Android-based smart devices as the focus.

Also Read: 'Driveclub' Developer Evolution Studios Shuttered By Sony

The new company will be based in Tokyo and will start with operating capital of 10 million yen, or just under $1 million. The announcement did not specify if ForwardWorks will be producing mobile software itself or just act as a funnel to the mobile ecosystem for games developed by other Sony subsidiaries.

Sony, being a massive global tech conglomerate, is also in the business of smartphones and tablets. In 2011 it released a line of gaming-focused devices that landed with a thud. Of particular note was that Xperia Play phone, which featured a slide-out gamepad and a dedicated app marketplace called PlayStation Mobile. That marketplace was also accessible via Sony’s PlayStation Vita handheld gaming platform, but was shut down last year.

Who's Who in the Apple Vs. FBI Feud (Photos)

Tim Cook

Apple's CEO sparked headlines by refusing to help the FBI unlock an iPhone linked to a deadly mass shooting, shining a spotlight on a long-simmering tension between protecting either digital privacy or public safety from attacks
Getty Images
Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik

The couple killed 14 people in December's mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. Using a warrant to searching a car linked to the husband, Farook, law enforcement discovered a passcode-protected iPhone. They want to bypass security blockers to peek into the phone's data for clues about associates or possible future attacks.
U.S. Government
James Comey

The FBI's director defended the agency's request that Apple help crack the shooter's iPhone, saying investigators wouldn't be able to look survivors in their eyes if the FBI didn't pursue the lead.
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Eileen M. Decker

The U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, Decker is the top Justice Department official fighting on behalf of the FBI in court. Decker said the court's order would help investigators uncover the motives behind the attack. “We have made a solemn commitment to the victims and their families that we will leave no stone unturned," she said.
Department of Justice
Donald Trump

The Republican presidental candidate seized on the standoff pitting Apple against national security interests, calling for a boycott of the company until it helps unlock the phone.
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Edward Snowden

The former intelligence contractor, who leaked documents in 2013 that exposed warrantless government surveillance, called the face-off "the most important tech case in a decade" and criticized the FBI for creating a world where Apple protects citizens' rights, rather than the other way around.
Praxis Films
Sundar Pichai

Google's CEO, who is instrumental in the world's other major smartphone operating system besides Apple's, was the first major figure in Silicon Valley to express support for Cook. He said requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices and data "could be a troubling precedent."
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Mark Zuckerberg

The CEO of Facebook, the world's biggest social network, said his company was “sympathetic” to Apple. “We believe in encryption,” he said.
Getty Images
John McAfee

The anti-virus software businessman, who is known for his own tangles with law enforcement, said he and his team of hackers would break into Farook's iPhone for the FBI at no charge, to eliminate the need for Apple to develop another way in. "I would eat my shoe... if we could not break the encryption on the San Bernardino phone," he said.

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Apple and the U.S. government are facing off over a killer terrorist’s locked iPhone. Here are the main figures in the case

Tim Cook

Apple's CEO sparked headlines by refusing to help the FBI unlock an iPhone linked to a deadly mass shooting, shining a spotlight on a long-simmering tension between protecting either digital privacy or public safety from attacks

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