Sony has formed a new company that will be dedicated to making games for smart devices. The company, ForwardWorks, is set to officially open its doors on April 1.
Sony didn't announce any specific games but said in a statement that ForwardWorks will leverage PlayStation franchises and characters. Right now the games are planned for release in Japan and Asia only. It's possible they'll be extended to the west in the future, but that wasn't announced.
"The company will aim to deliver users the opportunity to casually enjoy full-fledged game titles in the new field of the smart device market," Sony said in its statement.
Sony didn't respond to a request for further comment.
Sony isn't the only platform-holder pushing into the smart-device market. Nintendo is working with DeNA on its new line of mobile games. The first of these, Miitomo, was released on March 17 and has been a big hit.
ForwardWorks, based in Tokyo, is getting started with 10 million yen (about $89,000) in capital. Among its board of directors is Andrew House, the president of Sony Computer Entertainment.
Speaking of Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony also reiterated Thursday that the company is changing names and will become Sony Interactive Entertainment on April 1.
This story originally posted as "Sony Creates New Division to Make Smartphone Games in Japan" on GameSpot.