Sony to Launch Mobile Video Game and App Company ForwardWorks

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)

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James Comey

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Eileen M. Decker

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Donald Trump

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Edward Snowden

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Mark Zuckerberg

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

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