Sony appears to be working on a new platform for free-to-play mobile games, according to details revealed via a PlayStation job listing. The job listing for the mobile platform architect role mentions that the position requires designing the PlayStation platform to “develop, publish and operate free-to-play mobile games.” The development comes after Microsoft announced that it would launch an Xbox mobile store in July.
The PlayStation job listing, spotted by TweakTown, reveals some details about Sony's plans for mobile gaming. According to the listing, PlayStation Studios Mobile is looking for an experienced software engineer to lead the design and implementation of Sony's mobile gaming platform. The individual should also work with internal teams to connect mobile games to existing PlayStation services.
The list also mentions the responsibilities of the role. The individual should “design the system architecture and backend services for the mobile gaming platform” and “actively track technical innovations, changes, and trends affecting mobile game development.”
Additionally, Sony is looking for someone with experience designing related APIs or SDKs, and who has working knowledge of game engines such as Unity or Unreal Engine.
The father of PlayStation has yet to officially announce its plans for a free-to-play mobile gaming platform. The company, however, has been working to bring some of its most popular PlayStation titles to mobile. In a presentation last year, the company had said that many of its in-house studios were working on mobile games. In the filing, Sony said it expected mobile games to make up nearly 5 percent of its game portfolio by 2023, with the share expected to rise to 10 percent by 2025.
Sony's rival Microsoft has also been making inroads into the mobile gaming space. Last year, the parent of Xbox completed the acquisition of Activision Blizzard King for $69 billion; King is the developer and publisher of popular mobile games such as Candy Crush Saga and Farm Heroes Saga.
Earlier this month, Microsoft also announced that it plans to launch its long-awaited Xbox Mobile Game Store in July, where it will offer its portfolio of first-party mobile games such as Candy Crush and Minecraft.
