TheQuartering [1/14/2021]

It looks like years of censorship may have caught up with Sony as the PlayStation sales tank to a 25 year low.

According to the Wall Street Journal:

Sony Corp. said Tuesday that it will move the headquarters of its PlayStation videogame unit to California, a move that reflects the industry’s view of the U.S. as offering the greatest growth potential.

As part of the move, Tokyo-based Sony Computer Entertainment, the videogame unit, will merge with San Mateo, Calif.-based Sony Network Entertainment International LLC, which provides PlayStation’s network services. The change will take effect in April, and the new company will be called Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC.

As free smartphone games have proliferated, the Japanese market for videogame consoles such as the PlayStation has shrunk, while the U.S. market has continued to expand. Sony said relocating to the U.S. would enable it to respond more quickly to industry trends.

“It makes sense for us to put headquarters functions in the U.S. because we have a lot of important business partners in the U.S. and a lot of changes in the industry we need to deal with promptly tend to appear there first,” a spokeswoman for Sony Computer Entertainment said.