Sony’s PlayStation Apparently Wasn’t Aware of Its Partnership With Microsoft

Last week, Sony and Microsoft came out with a big surprise announcement. Both the companies are teaming up to work on cloud products for their respective game and content-streaming services.

The partnership will see Sony using Microsoft’s Azure for its own game-streaming services, which is a huge win for Microsoft as it’s also competing with Google and Amazon, both of which are building their own game-streaming services on their respective cloud infrastructures.

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There is, however, a slight problem. According to a report from Bloomberg, Sony’s senior management team in Tokyo was responsible for the negotiations with Redmond, meaning the PlayStation team were left out.

It seems like the PlayStation unit wasn’t aware of the plans at all. Apparently, managers had “to calm workers and assure” them on its plans for the next-gen PlayStation after the news came out. Sony also had to make key organisational changes internally to push forward with the Microsoft partnership, going as far as moving some senior PlayStation Now (its existing game-streaming service) Staff to other divisions. Considering how the gaming community works and thinks, that was a pretty bold move by Sony.

At the end of the day, though, Sony’s partnership with Microsoft probably won’t affect PlayStation much. Sony will mainly be using Microsoft’s Azure for its game-streaming services as building its own infrastructure as big as what Microsoft (and Google and Amazon) already have will take a lot of time and money. So if you are a PlayStation owner worried that the new partnership will affect PlayStation, I personally don’t think there is much to worry about.

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Conversation 6 comments

  • Stooks

    20 May, 2019 - 7:58 am

    <p>Anyone with half a brain was not worried about this from a PlayStation perspective. </p><p><br></p><p>Microsoft is #2 when it comes to cloud infrastructure and growing. This was just a business deal. Just like 100% of the parts in the Xbox or Surface computers are made by business partners. </p>

    • rm

      20 May, 2019 - 8:28 am

      <blockquote><a href="#429314"><em>In reply to Stooks:</em></a><em>Yes, but I am guessing if you work on PlayStation Now, you have been looking at Microsoft as the enemy to defeat and you were winning in terms of number of customers. Then to have your companies executives make this decision probably felt like </em><span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); background-color: transparent;">betrayal</span><em>. But I like it!</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

  • jimchamplin

    Premium Member
    20 May, 2019 - 10:17 am

    <p>Seems like a pretty alarmist stance to think that the partnership is anything other than for hosting and cloud. If there had been anything more, you can be damn sure that Microsoft would have been talking about it. </p>

  • SupaPete

    20 May, 2019 - 11:03 am

    <p>makes it sound to me like this is mostly a deal about the backend infrastructure, like when Apple to the public touts their big new cloud/service offering with all by Apple etc, yet the backend/server side is all done by another company.</p><p>And i guess maybe then likewise Sony and MS will go on as competitive contenders in consoles in the public and on all other fronts while Sony uses the backend infrastructure of MS for their services.</p><p>Let's see.</p>

  • kjb434

    Premium Member
    20 May, 2019 - 10:08 pm

    <p>LOL, the current PlayStation outsold Xbox One…meanwhile, Sony decides Microsoft will provide the back-end server systems for their services. Microsoft wins (and Sony to an extent)</p><p><br></p><p>Hey PlayStation fanboys, hope you enjoy your Microsoft Azure services.</p><p><br></p><p>Microsoft's mission of being a leading cloud services provider just keeps bearing fruit.</p>

  • fbman

    21 May, 2019 - 1:03 am

    <p>This type of arrangement is actually quite common in business..</p><p><br></p><p>Two big examples</p><p><br></p><p>Apple competes with Samsung in the smartphone market, but apple buys components for the iPhone from samsung</p><p><br></p><p>Netflix competes with Amazon Video in the streaming market, but Netflix runs off Amazon Web Services.</p>

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