In news that has shaken the world of video games, Jim Ryan, the leader of Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation), announced his retirement from the company after more than 30 years of service. Renowned Bloomberg journalist, Jason Schreier, was the first to report this surprising news.
The official confirmation came through a statement issued by the company, which highlighted that Jim Ryan chose to retire as of March 2024. However, what is even more surprising is that during the coming months, Ryan will not maintain his position as director of PlayStation, but will assume a new role in the company.
The management of PlayStation, starting in October, will fall into the hands of Hiroki Totoki, current chief financial officer and chief operating officer of Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced that Totoki will fill this role on an interim basis, as the company plans to appoint a new CEO within the next year.
Kenichiro Yoshida, CEO of Sony, praised Jim Ryan’s outstanding career at PlayStation. Ryan joined the division in 1994 and assumed leadership in 2019, just before the launch of the successful PlayStation 5, which took place amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Yoshida recognized the extraordinary achievement of Ryan and his team in carrying out this launch under such challenging circumstances.
“Jim Ryan has been an inspiring leader throughout his time with us, but never more so than when he oversaw the launch of the PlayStation 5 amid the global Covid pandemic. This extraordinary achievement, achieved by the entire SIE team, continues to grow , and the PlayStation 5 is on track to become SIE’s most successful console to date,” Yoshida said.
To avoid unfounded speculation, Yoshida emphasized that Jim Ryan is simply exercising his right to retire after decades of service at PlayStation, and the company fully respects that. Additionally, he announced that an administrative restructuring will be carried out in response to this decision, although he did not provide additional details in this regard.
Jim Ryan explained that one of the reasons behind his decision to retire from PlayStation is the difficulty of reconciling his residence in Europe with his work in North America, especially given the travel required.
“After 30 years, I have decided to retire from SIE in March 2024. I enjoyed the opportunity to have a job I love in a very special company, working with great people and incredible partners. But I am finding it increasingly difficult to balance living in Europe and working in North America. I will leave having had the privilege of working on products that have impacted the lives of millions around the world. PlayStation will always be a part of my life and I feel more optimistic than ever about the future of SIE. I want thank Mr. Yoshida for placing so much trust in me and for being a sensitive and caring leader,” said Jim Ryan.
K. Tovar
Source: Hipertextual
(Reference image source Sony, EuropaPress)
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