LogInHiroki Totoki will be appointed Interim CEO of SIE after Jim's departure.
Image Credit: Sony
Sony Group Corporation and Sony Interactive Entertainment have taken everyone by surprise with the announcement that Jim Ryan, the President and CEO of SIE, will retire in March 2024, marking the end of his nearly 30-year tenure with the company.
As per the official statement from the company, Hiroki Totoki, President and COO of Sony Group Corporation, will step into the role of SIE Chairman starting in October 2023 and will assume the position of Interim CEO of SIE from April 1, 2024. In his new capacity, Totoki will work in close collaboration with Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman and CEO of Sony Group Corporation, and the SIE management team to help shape the future direction of PlayStation.
"After 30 years, I have made the decision to retire from SIE in March 2024," Ryan stated. "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."
"Jim Ryan has been an inspirational leader throughout his entire period with us, but never more so than in overseeing the launch of PlayStation 5 in the midst of the global COVID pandemic. That extraordinary achievement made by the entire SIE team has been steadily built on and PlayStation 5 is on track to become SIE’s most successful console yet," commented Kenichiro Yoshida. "I’m immensely grateful to Jim for all his achievements. Respecting Jim’s decision to finish his long career at Sony leaves me with an important decision regarding his succession given the significance of the Game & Network Services business. We have discussed intensively and have determined the new management structure. We aim to achieve Sony Group’s further evolution and growth through bringing even greater success to the Game & Network Services Business."
You can learn more about Jim Ryan's departure here. Speaking of departures, AMD's Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Graphics Business Unit Scott Herkelman has also recently revealed his decision to leave the company after serving as the prominent face of AMD's Radeon division for seven years.
Glen Schofield, the founder of Striking Distance Studios, is also leaving the studio that he himself founded. However, in Glen's case, it was apparently after the failed release of their debut game – The Callisto Protocol.
Don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.