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Sony Imagesoft Inc.

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Video games
Founded	January 1989; 35 years ago (1989-01)
Defunct	March 1995; 29 years ago (1995-03)
Fate	Folded into Sony Computer Entertainment
Successors	Sony Computer Entertainment 989 Studios
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California
Parent	CBS/Sony Group (1989–1991) Sony Electronic Publishing (1991–1995)
Website	www.sony.com

Sony Imagesoft Inc. was an American video game publisher that operated from 1989 to 1995 and was located in California. It was established in January 1989 in Los Angeles, California, as a subsidiary of the Japan-based CBS/Sony Group (CSG) and initially named CSG Imagesoft Inc. Their focus at the beginning was on marketing games exclusively for Nintendo consoles.

The first release was Super Dodge Ball in summer 1989. Games by UK-based developers, Solstice and Dragon's Lair, followed in 1990. Both were also published in Japan through Epic/Sony Records.

After Sony had set up its North American division, Sony Electronic Publishing in April 1991, Imagesoft operated as Sony Imagesoft Inc.

Other releases are localizations of SNES games previously developed for Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) and published under the Epic/Sony Records brand: Extra Innings and Smart Ball, both published in 1992. Following a shakeup at Sony in 1995, Sony Imagesoft was merged into Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA) and has since only supported the PlayStation brand.

Sega partnership

On May 20, 1992, Sega of America and Sony Electronic Publishing announced a partnership to create content for Sega's consoles under the direction of Imagesoft. Besides Sega's cartridge-based Genesis and Game Gear consoles the partnership targeted the upcoming Sega CD peripheral. Among the first titles released for Sega's consoles after the announcement are Sewer Shark and Hook. Sewer Shark, initially released exclusively to Sega CD, is a rail-shooter that years earlier had been shelved as part of the ill-fated Control-Vision platform. The Hook video games are tie-ins to the Spielberg feature film Hook that premiered in December 1991 and was produced by Sony-owned TriStar Pictures. Ports of the video game for Sega platforms are based on the SNES game published earlier by Imagesoft. The Sega CD version was enhanced with better cut scenes with voice actors and digital stills and featured music from the film soundtrack.

1995 changes

In March 1995 Sony Imagesoft announced that it had appointed Kelly Flock as president. Flock came from Trimark Interactive where he was executive vice president since March 1993.

Starting in July 1995, just two months prior to the release of the PlayStation console in Western markets, Sony Electronic Publishing restructured and renamed its divisions. All video game marketing from Sony Imagesoft was folded into Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA), with about 100 employees transferred from Santa Monica to Foster City. The video game business of Sony Imagesoft was merged with the product development branch of SCEA and became Sony Interactive Studios America which would later be renamed to 989 Studios.

The computer software business of Imagesoft became Sony Interactive PC Software America and was headed by general manager Ray Sangster.

Games published

Games developed

References

1. Sony in U.S. Videogame Venture. In: Television Digest with Consumer Electronics. Volume 28, December 26, 1988, page 51.
2. ^ CSG Imagesoft Enters U.S. Home Video Game Market. PR Newswire, Los Angeles, September 6, 1989
3. Sony Software Establishes Sony Electronic Publishing. PR Newswire, New York, February 26, 1991.
4. Consumer Electronics (Communications Daily), Vol. 11, No. 44, Warren Publishing. Page 9.
5. Sony Electronic Publishing and Sega of America announce broad business partnership. Business Wire, May 20, 1992
6. Adam Bryant: Sega Links with Sony to Make CD Video Games. New York Times, May 21, 1992. Accessed: 2010-09-01. (archived version)
7. Janet Wasko: Hollywood in the information age: beyond the silver screen. University of Texas Press 1995, ISBN 0-292-79094-5. Page 62.
8. Sony Imagesoft names Kelly Flock president. Business Wire New York, March 8, 1995.
9. Carl DiOrio: Sony to Transfer 100 Workers. In: The Hollywood Reporter, July 12, 1995.
10. Scott Hettrick: -- no title given -- In: The Hollywood Reporter, August 8, 1995.
11. Sony in Disarray on Eve of Playstation Debut. In: Television Digest with Consumer Electronics, August 14, 1995, ISSN 0497-1515, page 9.
12. ^ Sony Electronic Publishing Co. renamed; Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. is established. Business Wire, August 17, 1995.
13. ^ Super NES Release List from nintendo.com at the Wayback Machine (archived September 30, 2007)
14. "Altered Space – Game Boy – IGN". uk.ign.com. Retrieved 2015-07-07.
15. "ESPN Baseball Tonight". GameSpot.
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19. Peter M. Nichols: Home Video. In: New York Times, December 10, 1993. Accessed: 2010-09-16. (archived version)
20. "The Milwaukee Journal – Google News Archive Search – The earliest reviews available online are from March 1993". Retrieved 2015-07-07.
21. "Hook for Sega Cd". GameFaqs.
22. Philips Teams With Propagande. In: Billboard, June 24, 1995, page 54
23. Sony Imagesoft to showcase "Johnny Mnemonic" Archived 2016-03-13 at the Wayback Machine Business Wire, Santa Monica, California, March 13, 1995
24. Last Action Hero – Sega Mega CD unseen64.net
25. Notebooks. In: Television Digest with Consumer Electronics, Vol. 33, No. 21, Pg. 19. – "...Psygnosis, founded in 1984, published noteworthy "Lemmings" software series, and has developed 2 titles – "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and "Last Action Hero" – for Sega CD."
26. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for Sega CD at MobyGames
27. Mickey Mania for Sega Genesis Credits at MobyGames
28. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 5 March 1994. p. 67. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2015-07-07.
29. "Soccer Mania Release Information for Game Boy – GameFAQs". gamefaqs.com. Retrieved 2015-07-07.

External links

• Sony Imagesoft profile on MobyGames

• Sony Interactive Entertainment
• Defunct video game companies of the United States
• Entertainment companies based in California
• Video game companies established in 1989
• Video game companies disestablished in 1995
• Video game publishers
• 1989 establishments in California
• 1995 disestablishments in California