PlayStation will reveal plans to break into mobile gaming “sooner than you might think.”
This update follows the news that PlayStation Studios is planning an expansion to the mobile market with adaptations of its most popular franchises. Sony now says that the initial results of those efforts aren’t too far away.
In an interview with Axios (opens in new tab), PlayStation Studios head Jim Ryan explained some of the reasoning behind the company’s foray into mobile gaming and confirmed that something is happening in that space soon. “The thinking here is that our IP portfolio is in such a strong state right now, it seems perverse to restrict enjoyment of it to our existing PlayStation community,” Ryan said. “We are working on a number of models to open up mobile. You’ll see the first fruits of this sooner than you might think.”
A since-deleted job listing from April seems to shed a little more light on PlayStation’s plans for mobile, calling for a new mobile strategist who would focus on “successfully adapting PlayStation’s most popular franchises for mobile.” It’s possible we’ll see mobile-exclusive PlayStation games somewhere down the line, but it sounds like the current plan is to port some existing favorites over to mobile platforms.
Without specifics, there’s no telling which games Sony is aiming to adapt for mobile, especially since different games will throw unique technical hurdles into the process. That said, if the goal is to bring the most successful IPs to mobile, the natural assumption is that Uncharted, The Last of Us, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Spider-Man are at least being considered.
As of now, we have no reason to believe PlayStation’s mobile strategy will extend to hardware anytime in the near future. The PS Vita’s online store just barely escaped the chopping block earlier this year thanks to a last-minute course reversal from Sony, but that certainly doesn’t mean a successor to the Vita handheld, which was discontinued more than two years ago, is in the works. Still, I don’t think anyone will complain about being able to play Uncharted on their phone.
For what to play on-the-go right now, check out our comprehensive guide to the best iPhone games and best Android games on the market. And we’ve got Games like Clash of Clans if you want something more specif.