With over 100 million monthly users worldwide, PlayStation products and services continue to unlock new experiences in gaming. At Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), our employees thrive in a diverse environment that allows for fresh ideas and cutting-edge technological advances, pushing the boundaries of play through innovation. To support our efforts in strengthening software engineering recruitment, we caught up with select team members to give readers a behind-the-scenes look at working at SIE.

Passion for our products and a commitment to embracing diversity fuel innovation

Satoshi Nakane / Director, Software Engineering, Gaming & Network Technology

Tell us about SIE’s Software Engineering Team?

SIE’s Software Engineering Team drives innovation throughout the company, from developing the PlayStation OS to creating apps and tools that accelerate and improve services. Our global team operates seamlessly in the US, the UK, Japan, and other offices. We continually challenge ourselves every day to push the boundaries of software development.  

What are the strengths of this team?

Our team is open and energetic. Regardless of the role or position, we are always open to discussion and comfortable with seeking advice.  We draw on the diverse skills and experiences of the team, constantly pushing each other to grow. A standout feature at SIE is our culture of seeking active communication, both within and outside the company, through initiatives like hackathons and sharing our latest innovations at external conferences.  

Why do you emphasize cultural strengths over technical abilities?   

Bringing together highly skilled individuals itself doesn’t automatically result in something truly inspiring. We believe that innovation happens when engineers with different perspectives—whether they’re tech enthusiasts or deeply user-focused engineers—we learn to recognize and value each other’s strengths. This collaboration creates the multidimensional viewpoints needed to build something exceptional.  

In product development, success comes from embracing trial and error, careful planning, and brainstorming from diverse perspectives. Our culture encourages boldness, celebrating the courage to take on challenges rather than assigning blame for failures. Conversations like, “Let’s give it a try,” are part of our everyday work.  

What truly sets us apart is that our team shares a deep passion for “love for PlayStation products” and “love for making things.” That shared enthusiasm is what powers our competitive edge.  

Reasons to Further Enhance Software Innovation

Why is there a high demand for recruiting software engineers?

While SIE is often seen as a leader in hardware, over half of our current engineering roles are software-based. As we continue to strengthen our global presence and build upon our users’ love for the PlayStation brand, we recognize that SIE must continue to strengthen our software development capabilities to stay ahead.  

The future of PlayStation products offers exciting challenges, and as we look ahead, we need fresh insights and diverse perspectives from those with a wide range of experiences.  

What does an ideal candidate look like?

We’re looking for proactive engineers who are passionate about PlayStation products and the creative development process. Since we often define our direction as we go to keep pace with the rapidly changing entertainment environment, those who are open and adaptable to change will find working at SIE rewarding.  In addition, we embrace new trends in development, like vertical slice and DevOps, so engineers who prefer to bring multifaceted perspectives and can work across a range of technologies will thrive in comparison to those who want to specialize in one skillset.  

Our Japanese team members have improved their language skills by diving into challenges and learning through experience. I remember one colleague from our non-Japan teams saying, “It’s strange to assume everyone’s fluent in English just because many of the team members  work in English-speaking regions.” That left a strong impression on me as a non-native English speaker. When it comes to Japanese, as long as you are comfortable with working in Japanese, both written and spoken and have the motivation to improve, we believe you’ll be able to adapt to roles located in our Japan office. Our diverse team celebrates different languages and cultures, so please apply with confidence, even if English or Japanese isn’t your first language.  

What do you find most rewarding about working at SIE?

Being part of a team that delivers large-scale B2C services and brings joy to so many users around the world is incredibly fulfilling. There’s nothing like telling your family and friends, “I work on PlayStation products,” or knowing you’re part of something that has personally shaped my life. One of my most treasured memories is launching PlayStation 5 alongside the entire team—it was an unforgettable experience.  

Sony Group’s purpose of “filling the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology” aligns perfectly with SIE’s  goal of “pushing the boundaries of play.” The spirit of creative freedom and expression has been with us since day one, and if that resonates with you, let’s create something truly inspiring together.

Global Services with Cutting-Edge Technology

Ayumi Tsuruta / Site Reliability Engineer, Gaming & Network Technology

Could you share your career journey and what led you to join SIE?

In my previous role at a global consulting firm, I focused primarily on technical tasks like cloud infrastructure design. Over time, my responsibilities shifted more toward coordination and management, and I found myself wanting to do more hands-on technical work. I also wanted the freedom to propose solutions beyond client requirements, which led me to seek a role at a service-oriented company. When SIE reached out through a recruiting site, I jumped at the chance being a long-time fan of PlayStation and SIE hardware made the decision easy.

What tasks and projects are you responsible for?

I’m primarily responsible for the operation of PlayStation Network. As a Site Reliability Engineer (SRE), I handle a range of technical tasks like infrastructure tuning, middleware optimization, and managing platform migrations—all to enhance service performance and reliability.

Since PlayStation Network is a global service, I work on systems that adapt to varying peak access times across different regions like Europe, America, and Asia. Our goal is to ensure a smooth experience for users no matter where they are.

One of the standout aspects of SIE is its commitment to implementing global standard architectures. Our team is actively working on global technology standardization, embracing cutting-edge developments in server virtualization. For example, we’re transitioning from individually setting up virtual servers to adopting container technologies and clustering to streamline and future-proof our infrastructure.

A Team That Embraces Your Ambitions and Champions Flexible Workstyles

What’s personally rewarding about working at SIE?

I think one of the most exciting aspects of working at SIE is that you’re entrusted with projects that have a real impact on our products, regardless of your length at the company.

For example, just three months after joining, I was given the lead role in a large-scale platform migration project related to a voice chat feature. This opportunity allowed me to dive into performance testing and migration research, contributing to a critical part of the PlayStation experience.

Another appealing aspect of working at SIE is the open environment for sharing improvement ideas. About a year after joining, I proposed replacing a tool to enhance operational efficiency. This led to the formation of a working group, and when I presented the idea to fellow engineers, the response was overwhelmingly positive. I was truly impressed by how focused the organization is on continuous improvement and how welcoming they are to new suggestions.

Another key benefit is the flexibility of the work environment. As a parent, the high level of freedom with remote work makes it easy for me to adjust my schedule. What’s particularly supportive is that our managers actively use these flexible systems themselves, and the team is incredibly understanding when it comes to parenting. This makes balancing work and childcare stress-free, creating a comfortable work environment. It’s not just about parenting either—colleagues from all walks of life are naturally supported in adjusting their work schedules for personal events, making work-life balance a genuine priority.

For anyone passionate about technology and PlayStation products, SIE is a place where you can truly thrive. The team fosters flat communication, where you’re encouraged to openly share your goals and talk about balancing work and life. I highly recommend SIE to those who want to grow their skills while also valuing important personal life events.

Creating a New Product from Scratch: A Journey of Personal Growth

Andrey Kirpach / Software Engineer, Foundational Systems and Experiences Engineering

Share your career transition and what led you to join SIE

In my previous role at a startup specializing in XR (extended reality), I worked on MR (mixed reality) projects for enterprise clients and also served as an evangelist, promoting the adoption of cutting-edge technology. While the work was interesting, I eventually realized that my true passion wasn’t in that industry. This led me to reflect on my interests, and I began considering a shift to the gaming world.

Back in my student days, I used to create games and MODs1 with friends. In addition, through previous work experiences I knew I was also interested in hardware. I realized that SIE—deeply involved in both software and hardware—would be the perfect place to bring these interests together.

What type of work are you responsible for?

For the first six months after joining, I focused on developing the PlayStation App, which lets users chat and download games through their phone. Since winter 2023, I’ve been part of the development team for PlayStation Portal. I started as a software engineer, but as the project evolved, I began overseeing the entire architecture and now lead the software engineering team for the peripheral.

PlayStation Portal is a unique product that sets it apart from previous product designs and integrates a lot of new technology. Being part of its development from the ground up—like parachuting into an unknown destination—has been a huge catalyst for my personal career growth. Working on such a high-impact project also gave me the rewarding feeling of leaving a lasting mark in the gaming space.

Since this project involved designing new hardware, we iterated the design through prototypes, refining it as we went. One of my most vivid memories is the arrival of the first prototype, which I shared with our senior manager—it’s a moment that really left a mark.

Thriving in a Diverse and Sustainable Environment that Recognizes Technical Excellence

What do you find most appealing about working at SIE?

I’ve always wanted to work in an environment that truly embraces diversity. In the past, I’ve faced situations where conversations were shaped by stereotypes based on my nationality, and I often wished for my technical skills to be evaluated on merit alone. At SIE, that’s exactly what I’ve found—our global team deeply understands and values diversity without bias.  

SIE places great emphasis on “working with health in mind.” Even during busy periods, you can adjust your work style, balancing your goals with your working hours, making it a sustainable and rewarding environment.  

Another strength of SIE is having access to the people who built various functions and products within the company. Since we develop software, hardware, and the network in-house, you can easily consult with the person responsible if you need support. When working on PlayStation Portal, I received guidance from many colleagues, and even when I faced technical challenges, senior team members were always there to help resolve them.  

Can you offer advice to interested candidates? 

If you’re interested, I encourage you to take the leap, even if you’re not fully confident in your knowledge or background. Waiting until you feel 100% ready could mean missing out on great opportunities. At SIE, we believe in growing step by step—no matter your background or career stage. Sometimes, a little bit of boldness can open doors you never expected. 

Apply Now!  

We’re actively hiring software engineers across various areas, and we’re eager to hear from those who are full of curiosity and creativity. 

There are also plenty of other open positions available in Japan, so be sure to visit our careers page (Japanese only)  for more details.

Translated from Japanese (original)

  1. MOD: Custom data or programs that modify software functionality, commonly used to enhance or change games. ↩︎