Bilawal Bashir 
Job listings show that Sony’s push into portable gaming may not be the PSP revival fans were hoping for, and instead could be a line of PlayStation-branded mobile games.
Mobile gaming is growing exponentially, with more gamers accessing games designed for on-the-go play. Many big gaming franchises like Call of Duty, have successfully jumped to mobile platforms. Other huge hitters, like Grand Theft Auto, are simply ported over to smartphones to great success. There is certainly money to be made by making mobile games, even if hardcore gamers fume over it.
Microsoft has announced that it is working on its own mobile games platform, which Xbox president Sarah Bond says will launch in July. It seems Sony doesn’t want to be left behind on the mobile front and is also gearing up to dive into mobile games.
PlayStation gearing up for major mobile game push
Sony is running new job listings that seek software engineers to design a PlayStation platform for free-to-play mobile games.
The listing details the role and explains that the hired individual will spearhead the design and implementation of the mobile platform. They’ll also work with internal teams to “connect mobile games to PlayStation services” and ensure that the games “meet PlayStation’s quality standards.”
Sony also seeks a person with working knowledge of Unity and Unreal Engine. Both game engines are used to make most of the biggest mobile games on the market. Games such as Fortnite and PUBG Mobile run on Unreal Engine, while Unity powers everything from Genshin Impact to Among Us.
Sony has been recruiting for an experienced mobile development team, hiring people from Apple, Meta, Tencent, Riot, Zynga, and Samsung.
The new job listing sounds like Sony is making its version of Apple Arcade and will release free-to-play mobile games that are tied to PlayStation IPs. Whether Sony creates a whole storefront like Microsoft remains to be seen. Sony could also release a singular app platform available on Android and iOS and release games through it, just like Netflix.
Though mobile games aren’t new, there have been signs of a goldrush toward the market by large publishers. Sega in particular has been linked to a swath of mobile games, and recently revealed Sonic Rumble. WB Games has discussed pivoting away from console releases and toward mobile gaming.
The job posting only appeared recently, but all signs point to this being a major initiative from Sony. Sony has not officially announced anything on the matter, and it could take some time before anything gets revealed or released.
