Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Jim Ryan is retiring after 30 years. The PlayStation boss will formally leave his role in March 2024 with a successor yet to be named.
Jim Ryan has been working with PlayStation since 1994 when he joined Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe. Since then, he’s become the key figurehead for the PlayStation brand, similar to Phil Spencer’s role within Xbox. His most recent success has come from the launch of the PlayStation 5, which has already surpassed a 40 million unit milestone. Today, Sony announced that Ryan plans to retire from the role.
Plans are already in place to fill that gap according to a press release from Sony. Sony Group COO and CFO Hiroki Totoki will be stepping into Ryan’s role as an interim CEO while continuing his role within the Sony Group. During that time, he’ll work with Sony Group Corporation Chairman and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida to “define the next chapter of PlayStation’s future.” That will include naming an official successor to Ryan.
Ryan explained the surprise shift in a press release, citing a logistical reason for his departure: the difficulty of balancing a life in Europe with a North American job.
“After 30 years, I have made the decision to retire from SIE in March 2024,” Ryan writes. “I’ve relished the opportunity to have a job I love in a very special company, working with great people and incredible partners. But I’ve found it increasingly difficult to reconcile living in Europe and working in North America. I will leave having been privileged to work on products that have touched millions of lives across the world; PlayStation will always be part of my life, and I feel more optimistic than ever about the future of SIE. I want to thank Yoshida-san for placing so much trust in me and being an incredibly sensitive and supportive leader.”
Totoki will step into an era of change for PlayStation, as Sony is currently prepping a more aggressive dive into live service with titles like Marathon and FairGame$. It remains to be seen if new leadership will have any impact on the company’s plans going forward.
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