 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | January 1989[citation needed] |
| Defunct | March 1995 |
| Fate | Folded into Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Successors | Sony Computer Entertainment 989 Studios |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Owner | Sony |
| Parent | CBS/Sony Group (1989–1991) Sony Electronic Publishing (1991–1995) |
| Website | www |
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.[1] Their focus at the beginning was on marketing games exclusively for Nintendo consoles.[2]
The first release was Super Dodge Ball in summer 1989.[2] 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,[3][4] 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.
- ^ Sony in U.S. Videogame Venture. In: Television Digest with Consumer Electronics. Volume 28, December 26, 1988, page 51.
- ^ a b CSG Imagesoft Enters U.S. Home Video Game Market. PR Newswire, Los Angeles, September 6, 1989
- ^ Sony Software Establishes Sony Electronic Publishing. PR Newswire, New York, February 26, 1991.
- ^ Consumer Electronics (Communications Daily), Vol. 11, No. 44, Warren Publishing. Page 9.