This September, we have another giant gaming event happening in the form of the Tokyo Game Show 2009. Reported to be giving the opening keynote speech is none other than the CEO of one of the biggest names in video game entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment's Kazuo Hirai.

It's been a pretty tough year (make that three, actually) as Sony Corp. continues to struggle to get out of the red zone, with its profits for the game division plunging deeper. But newly appointed CEO for game and network businesses, Kazuo Hirai, is adamant that they will be able to bring back the  division to some good, old, crispy profit.

Howard Stringer has taken up the title of President to add to his already long list of titles, and under his reign Sony will be undergoing a major organizational change. The PlayStation group included.

Details after the link.

Sony Entertainment's head honcho Kazuo Hirai made huge waves (tsunamis!) a few days ago when he finally unveiled details of the video download service for the PlayStation 3. Unfortunately, word is that Hollywood studios still aren't in on Kaz's plans. Story in the full article.

Sony Computer Entertainment has sent word that they've selected Shuhei Yoshida as their new World Wide Studios president. Yoshida will be replacement Phil Harrison, who left the company last February. Details regarding this announcement are in the full article.

Always looking at the bigger picture, Sony Computer Entertainment's president Kaz Hirai believes competing platform holders aren't the real threats to the business. "Our competition is not Microsoft or Nintendo," he said during the PlayStation Day. Head over to the full article to learn more.

A sad day is set to befall SCEI as one of its leading men steps down. Phil Harrison will be leaving the company on February 29, 2008 and will be replaced by Kazuo Hirai as the President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS).

Read up on the details, and to where Harrison may be headed next over at the full article.

Izumi Kawanishi, Sony Computer Entertainment's Chief Technical Officer, has moved out of the division and has settled into the mothership Sony Corporation. This is according to one of Kotaku's sources who explains that he and Kazuo Hirai had an internal dispute.

The source continues that the fight was Hirai wanting to push the PlayStation 3 only as a game console. Perhaps Kawanishi still wanted to push the console as an all-in-one media hub?

Bloomberg reports that Sony has joined forces with Infineon Technologies AG in order to reduce development costs for its consumer electronics division.

Both companies will own equal stakes in Qreatic Design, a new Tokyo-based venture that will design DRAM chips for use in Sony's consumer electronics including cameras and mobile phones as well as the Bravia and PlayStation brands.

"This deal allows us to combine Sony's chip-designing ability with Qimonda's chip-making ability," Sony President Ryoji Chubachi said in an interview today. "That way, we can share a roadmap to cut costs."

According to a joint statement from Sony and Infineon, the venture will probably begin operations by the end of the year. If all goes well, SCE president Kazuo Hirai will hopefully have decided to turn his thoughts into action by that time.

 

Though many great things emerged from Sony Computer Entertainment International's (SCEI) press conference at the 2007 Tokyo Game Show, CEO Kazuo Hirai's main keynote focused on what Sony has planned for the PlayStation world. The keynote highlighted an extension of the PlayStation 2 life, the broadening of the PlayStation Portable's entertainment capabilities, and the PlayStation 3's power extending its future.

DualShock 3, PlayStation Store, PlayStation Home, and closer developer bonds aside, Hirai revealed to investors at the conference that they were serious about delivering quality games to the PS3. Sony has announced the acquisition of Evolution Studios (MotorStorm) together with its subsidiary Bigbig Studios (Pursuit Force). They will join Sony Computer Entertainment's (SCE) World Wide Studios (WWS) development force.

As for new business opportunities, Sony will continue dipping into online-offered PS3 games, which already includes the likes of Incognito's Warhawk. Gran Turismo 5 will soon follow suit as well, plus the fact that the online PC portal for the PlayStation Store is already up in Japan.

Hirai also underlined their focus on entertainment and utility possibilities for Sony PSPs, stating that the 1Seg TV Tuner, camera, and GPS add-ons were developed for this purpose. And with the advent of the PlayStation Store PC portal, SCEI hopes to expand online content for PSPs worldwide.

PlayStation 2 gamers can hope for a longer life of their current generation console, for Sony is not planning on leaving it just yet. Seven years into its life, 120 million units of the PS2 has already shipped worldwide - and the numbers are still increasing - proving to Sony that a great expanse of the world is satisfied with its entertainment value. Games will continue to come out for it, says Sony, and the platform will be supported longer than the first PlayStation.