Shocking News From Sony, Jim Ryan Quits After 30 Years
Big changes at Sony Interactive Entertainment. The company has announced that Jim Ryan will soon step down as head of the corporation.
The gaming industry will soon see the end of an era. Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced that in March 2024, its former CEO, Jim Ryan, will bid farewell to the company. His adventure with the Japanese corporation will last a total of 30 years.
"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," Ryan announced.
Hiroki Totoki, former president, COO and CFO of Sony Group Corporation, will join SIE as chairman in early October. His task, the company explains, will be to "support Jim Ryan during the transition period."
On April 1 next year, Totoki will be appointed interim CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. He will work with Sony Group Corporation CEO Kenichiro Yoshida and the SIE management team to "help define the next chapter in PlayStation's future."
Reactions to Ryan's departure included Phil Spencer, head of PlayStation's biggest rival, Xbox, who wrote:
Recall that Ryan, 55, joined the Sony family in 1994, even before the launch of the first PlayStation console. In 2011, he was appointed president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe, and five years later took over as the company's global sales and marketing director. His greatest honor, in turn, came in 2019, when he began his role as CEO and president of the PlayStation division.
