Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), which is responsible for the brand’s PlayStation IP, announced that it will be acquiring Audeze, the audio brand know primarily for its premium and high-end gaming headphones. The move signifies SIE’s desire to expand its audio portfolio and by the looks of it, its offerings within the realm of PlayStation.
Despite the acquisition, SIE says that the audio brand will continue to operate independently and to develop new products on multiple platforms outside of the brand’s purview, while also benefiting from PlayStation. “Audeze is a premier brand for headphones, and this acquisition highlights Sony Interactive’s focus on innovation and providing the best audio experience to PlayStation players,” Hideaki Nishino, Senior Vice President, Platform Experience at Sony Interactive Entertainment, said. “We’re excited to bring the Audeze’s expertise into the PlayStation ecosystem, building on the great strides we’ve made with PlayStation 5’s Tempest 3D AudioTech and the Pulse 3D wireless headset.”
As a quick primer, Audeze is an audio brand based out of Orange County. Renowned for its development of premium audio products, and one of a handful of companies that uses Planar Magnetic drivers to build said devices. “Sony Interactive provides Audeze with a unique opportunity to scale our business, as we continue with our mission to deliver best-in-class headphones to recording professionals, audiophiles, and gamers,” Sankar Thiagasamudram, CEO at Audeze, says. “We’re also looking forward to contributing to Sony Interactive’s efforts to take PlayStation audio experiences to the next level.”
News of SIE’s acquisition of Audeze comes a day after Sony two new PlayStation audio products, the Pulse Explore earbuds and Pulse Elite headset, as well as the PlayStation Portal – formerly known as Project Q – a handheld device that looks like Sony took a bandsaw right down the middle of a DualSense controller and stuck a big 8-inch Full HD display right in the middle of it.
(Source: Business Wire, The Verge)
