Sony Buying Ericsson Out Of Sony Ericsson

Today Sony announced it will turn Sony Ericsson into a wholly-owned subsidiary by buying the shares of its current partner for $1.5 billion.

Sony plans to buy Ericsson's 50 percent stake in Sony Ericsson in January 2012, with both companies having already approved the decision. Sony states that the deal will allow it to "rapidly integrate smartphones into its broad array of  network-connected consumer electronics devices."

Sony president Howard Stringer describes the smartphones that the subsidiary will provide as the last leg of its "four-screen strategy," which hopes to provide and connect entertainment across Sony brand televisions, tablets, laptops, and phones. Stringer also stated the initiative will include games, citing PlayStation Network as one of the ways to connect devices. "We can help people enjoy all our content – from movies to music and games – through our many devices, in a way no one else can." 

Will Sony try to integrate PSN games on its new smartphones? If so, it could be a boon for the Android platform – 80 percent of Sony Ericsson's third quarter sales were Android-based devices, and Minecraft Pocket Edition, which has been one of the few games to release first on Android, started as an exclusive for Sony Ericsson's Xperia.  

[source: Sony]