Sony announces a new External Development Department in Japan

Sony Interactive Entertainment Asia has announced an establishment of a brand new External Development Department in Japan.

The External Development Department will offer assistance to developers cooperating with PlayStation over the territory, a role that has been covered by Japan Studio until now.

With support for partners coming from this brand new entity, there’s a chance Japan Studio (known for games such as Siren and Gravity Rush) will now return to build more of its games, something Sony might need as it develops its next-gen first-party lineup.

The following is a quick look at all the changes applied by Sony and recurring from today:

Organizational Changes as of April 1, 2020

• External Development Department established.
• Product Development Department renamed to Internal Development Department.
• Studio Operations Department renamed to Finance & Administration Department.
• Creative Product Services Department renamed to Creative Services Department.
• Product Technology Department abolished.
• Business Development Department abolished.

Personnel Changes as of April 1, 2020

• Kazuo Kato appointed Internal Development Department Head, External Development Department Head, and Creative Services Department Head.
• Naoaki Aoi appointed to the Finance & Administration Department.

This is not the first restructuring operation Sony has applied looking forward to the next generation of PlayStation.

Sony Interactive Entertainment has changed its CEO, with Andrew House handing the role to Jim Ryan, and SIE Worldwide Studios leadership has also been reassigned to Hermen Hulst.

As for bolstering the PS5 lineup of exclusive games, Insomniac Games has also been acquired and integrated into the Worldwide Studios organization after successfully shipping Marvel’s Spider-Man.

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