Sony has announced that it is merging two of its division into one US-based company that will combine all elements of its Playstation brand under one roof. The move brings together Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) and Sony Network Entertainment International LLC (SNEI) to form the new Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) business.

The new company, which will unite the PlayStation's hardware, software, content and network divisions, will begin on April 1, 2016, and be headquartered in San Mateo, California, while "key global business operations" will also be established in Tokyo and London.

“Along with our business partners, SIE will develop pioneering services and products that will continue to inspire consumers’ imaginations and lead the market,” said Andrew House, President and Global CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

SCE was set up in 1993 when the first PlayStation console was released. SNEI formed in 2010 and encompassed networking services such as the PlayStation Network and PlayStation Vue. Now these two divisions will become one unit. Sony didn’t say if the merger will affect any jobs.

Sony says the key strategies of SIE are to retain and expand PlayStation user engagement, increase average revenue per paying users and drive ancillary revenue. The new company is also described as being responsible for the R&D of future PlayStation hardware as well as the software and network services.

Andrew House will be President and Global CEO of SIE, with Kazuo Miura and John Kodera both becoming Deputy Presidents. Other directors include Kazuo Hirai and Kenichiro Yoshida, the president of Sony Worldwide Studios, who confirmed on Twitter that the "hardware" portion of the restructuring does include PlayStation VR. He also said that his title wouldn’t change and that he'll now be reporting to Shawn Layden.