PlayStation has made its first acquisition following Activision Blizzard’s merger with Microsoft, but it isn’t a video game company. Based in the U.K., iSIZE is an AI video solutions company that specializes in deep learning for video delivery.

iSIZE acquisition gives PlayStation “significant expertise” in machine learning for videos

In a press release, Sony Interactive Entertainment said that iSIZE has expertise in bitrate savings and quality improvements within the media and entertainment industry. The acquisition will result in Sony obtaining “significant expertise in applying machine learning to video processing, which will benefit a range of our R&D efforts as well as our video and streaming services.”

iSIZE was founded in 2016 and is based in London. Sony didn’t disclose the acquisition cost or the terms of the transaction due to “contractual obligations.” “iSIZE has a team of talented engineers and technical experts who have developed a suite of software solutions to optimize video,” the press release reads. “For example, the company built an AI-based perceptual preprocessing solution that allows conventional, third-party encoders to produce higher quality video at a significantly lower bitrate.”

It was recently reported that the games industry is expected to make a series of acquisitions in 2024, with Sony being one of the most active buyers.