PlayStation job listing hints at Sony's mobile ambitions
Man after my phone heart.
Sony has shared a new job vacancy for a Mobile Platform Architect at PlayStation Global.
The listing, which was spotted by TweakTown, shows the company is looking for an engineer to design a PlayStation platform which will focus on "developing, publishing, and operating free-to-play mobile games".
Among the responsibilities, the successful candidate will be expected to assist the platform's engineering team with "technical leadership and guidance", contribute to the mobile platform's roadmap, establish "pipelines and processes to facilitate the delivery of high-quality software" and track" technical innovations, changes, and trends affecting mobile game development".
"An individual in this role will spearhead the design and implementation of this platform; work in partnership with internal teams to connect mobile games to PlayStation services; and ensure that all mobile games meet PlayStation's quality standards," the listing states.
Sony has previously dabbled with the mobile gaming market, publishing the likes of the PlayStation app, the PS Remote Play app, endless-runner Run Sackboy! Run! (pictured below), top-down puzzle game Uncharted: Fortune Hunter (above), and AR app God of War: Mimir's Vision.
However, these forays have never met the heights of other mobile releases, such as Genshin Impact and Pokémon Go. In 2022, Uncharted: Fortune Hunter was shut down by developer Naughty Dog. While it never specified why it was retiring its mobile spinoff, low player numbers were likely a factor.
However, it appears the company is still set on reversing its fortunes in the future, with mobile undoubtedly being an important part of the market to crack.
Sony's latest mobile-related job listing comes soon after Xbox president Sarah Bond announced Microsoft was set to open its own web-based mobile game store in the coming couple of months.
"We're going to start actually by bringing our own first-party portfolio to that," Bond said earlier this month. This will include games such as Candy Crush, which Microsoft now owns thanks to its acquisition of King's parent company Activision Blizzard last year, and Minecraft.