I heard this news from Shawn Layden, president and CEO of what used to be SCEA. Sony has decided to take Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment LLC and combine them into one, central powerhouse that it’s calling Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC, or SIE. Headquartered out of San Mateo, California, this new company will serve as the home base for all things PlayStation. Layden said in his statement, “The formation will create an even stronger PlayStation. That means an even bigger emphasis on developing pioneering platforms like PS4 and PlayStation VR, world-class games from our Worldwide Studios development teams, and innovative network services such as PlayStation Vue.”
Sometimes companies are better splitting into subsidiaries – we wouldn’t have Jet Set Radio if Sega didn’t thin itself out a bit – and sometimes companies are better off regrouping and pulling everything to a common center. We trust that Sony knows what it’s doing. It is kind of sad to say goodbye to SCE and that familiar, orange diamond logo. Let’s reminisce one last time by watching the iconic PlayStation startup. RIP SCE.