SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES AUDEZE
Julie Mullins
Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) announced in an August 24 press release that it had entered into an agreement to acquire Audeze, a well-established manufacturer of headphones and related speaker and driver technologies.
SIE, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation, is probably best known for launching the PlayStation in Japan in 1994. Both companies are headquartered in California: Audeze in Santa Ana; SIE in San Mateo with “global functions” in London and Tokyo and game development studios in various other locations. Details about the transaction, including cost, were not disclosed. SIE is thought to be interested mainly in Audeze’s experience creating headphones intended for gaming.
Stereophile received the following emailed comment from Audeze CEO Sankar Thiagasamudram: “Our business name will remain Audeze, and even under SIE’s ownership, this will not affect our plans for products that support multiple platforms and technologies, including PC, Xbox, or Dolby Atmos. In fact, SIE encourages us to expand these product offerings, and you should expect us to continue releasing new products for the Audiophile, Pro Audio, and Gaming markets in the future. This acquisition will only enhance our efforts and provide … more opportunities in our target markets. Audeze will continue to operate independently as a separate business of SIE.
“For you and our customers, it will be business as usual—sales, marketing, production, and customer service will continue as normal. On the manufacturing and engineering side, this is where you’ll see greater growth. Current Audeze senior management will continue (co-founders Sankar and Drag will be staying as well as Mark), as will our existing sales and customer service personnel.”
