In recent weeks, the waters have not calmed down on the Sony front. The company, which first raised PlayStation Plus prices globally, was then subjected to a giant cyber security attack. In a new news, it was announced that Jim Ryan, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) and PlayStation, will step down.
Jim Ryan, the Man Behind the PlayStation 5, to Retire
Sony is going through a critical leadership change. Jim Ryan, known for his leadership of PlayStation and SIE, has announced that he will step down as of March next year. Ryan has been with Sony for 28 years, including the last 5 years at SIE.
Hiroki Totoki, currently COO of Sony, will assume the role of interim CEO from April next year. Totoki will take over as President of SIE in October 2023, prior to Ryan’s departure.
Ryan, who spent 28 years at Sony in various leadership positions, said it was difficult to run a Japanese company while working in Europe and the US. Sony’s Japan-based structure made SIE difficult to control. However, it is important to remember that companies such as Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games and Santa Monica Studio are based in the US.
Sony is reeling from a new hacking attempt. A group claiming to have infiltrated all the company's systems put the data up for sale.
During Ryan’s tenure, PS5 shipments exceeded 40 million despite production issues. He also played a crucial role in Microsoft’s attempts to acquire Activision-Blizzard.
According to the briefing, Totoki will work with Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida on PlayStation’s strategy. We will see how this transition will affect PlayStation next year.
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