Sony’s forthcoming PlayStation Mobile initiative – which will see PlayStation branded games available for mobile and tablet devices running the Android operating system – hopes to offer an alternative to poor quality products already available on other mobile marketplaces.
Previously known as PlayStation Suite, users will be able to access the PlayStation Store to download games on certified devices from manufacturers including Sony Ericsson and HTC.
The service is currently in open beta with the SDK available freely – although Jim Ryan, European boss of the company has said that Sony is taking a hands-on approach to development to ensure games and other content reach a certain level of quality associated with the PlayStation brand.
“There are many internal ways in which we’ll achieve this and many of which are still work in progress,” he said. “[We’re] ensuring that anything that is offered on this platform is of proper PlayStation quality and that people feel comfortable and safe that they are not going to inadvertently stumble upon any of the junk that exists in that wider marketplace.”
“It’s a significant business challenge because it’s our brand that’s at risk here and it’s our responsibility as a platform holder in multiple directions to ensure we do that. Can we be completely laissez faire I don’t think so because then we’ll end up just like all the rest and that can’t happen,” he added.
There are over 50 software houses working on content for PlayStation Mobile, which will also work with the recently released PlayStation Vita handheld. Sony hopes PlayStation Mobile will act as a gateway to home devices, as well as opening up established brands to new formats.
“If we get it right it could be very significant,” he said. “We see this as a real opportunity. It builds the ecosystem and gets us everywhere.”
Source: GamesIndustry International