PSN omdøbes til SEN

Sony's online service PlayStation Network will this week be renamed Sony Entertainment Network, as the company begins to consolidate all its online operations under one name.

The switch, which Sony says is "a change in name only" which will make it "clearer and easier" for users to access all Sony services with a single account, takes place tomorrow.

"The rebranding of PlayStation Network accounts to Sony Entertainment Network accounts is a change in name only," Sony explains in an email sent to US users posted on NeoGaf. "Your username or password will not change, nor are we asking you to change them.

"This transition is based on Sony's goal to enhance its unique digital entertainment offering. As a series of these activities Sony started last September, PlayStation Network will be aligned with Sony Entertainment Network.

"This helps us get closer to our goal of establishing a global comprehensive network platform of services across games, movies, music and more, all accessible from one convenient account."

Sony Entertainment Network was announced last August. Kaz Hirai, who will take over from Sir Howard Stringer as president and CEO of Sony Corporation on April 1, said the move would "accelerate the integration of hardware, content, and network … The whole of Sony is greater than the sum of its parts."