From Gamasutra:
Sony says the new structure "is designed to mutually benefit both companies by further accelerating the PlayStation business through SOE's strong online gaming expertise."
The San Diego based division -- formerly part of Sony Pictures Entertainment -- is expected to continue normal operations producing PC and PS3 titles, but Hirai says the move will help online games and services to become "a more integral part of the PS3 entertainment experience."
He added, "This new structure will allow us to take full advantage of the extensive breadth of expertise of the two companies and increase our range of exciting entertainment offerings to our consumers."
Said Smedley, "We are thrilled to become a part of the incredible team that has made PlayStation 3 the premier platform for next generation online gaming. This move is going to broaden our capabilities and expand the development of our products into new and exciting directions."
It's about time. I've always wondered why Sony let SOE do their own thing instead of supporting the PlayStation consoles. Just look at the titles they've released over the past 9 years. Out of ~45 games, only 8 or so have made it to Sony consoles. The rest have been PC titles. The Agency is the first multiplatform SOE title, and while the article says that SOE will continue their normal PC/Consoles strategy, I don't think it will last past the Agency. SOE is the perfect tool for SCE to push the PSN, and I think that they'll put SOE to work on PS titles from here on out. Of course, some may still be crossplatform like the Agency, to help push cross platform play.
And I just noticed how awesome the name Gamasutra is, lol.
