Sony: Dual leadership to replace Jim Ryan as Playstation boss

Sony's Playstation division is getting a dual leadership: Hideaki Nishino and Hermen Hulst are replacing Jim Ryan, Sony announced at the presentation of its latest financial figures. Ryan decided last September to leave the company in March. Since then, the role has been filled on an interim basis by Sony President Hiroki Totoki.

From June, there will be a long-term solution, which also means a new structure: Ryan's CEO position will be replaced by two co-CEOs who will report directly to Hiroki Totoki. Hulst will lead the newly created Studio Business Group, which comprises Sony's development studios and is therefore primarily responsible for the development of Playstation blockbusters. He will also be responsible for the filming of Playstation brands, as was successfully implemented with "The Last of Us", for example. Hulst has already worked as head of Playstation Studios and should find his feet immediately in his new position. Meanwhile, Hideaki Nishino will head up the Platform Business Group, which is responsible for console hardware as well as relationships with external development partners.

CEOs to reach new players

"These two leaders will have clear responsibilities and set the strategic direction to ensure that we can further deepen our relationship with Playstation users and extend our gaming experience to new users," comments Hiroki Totoki.

Former Playstation CEO Jim Ryan joined Sony in 1994, where the Brit initially worked in the European division. In 2016, he was promoted to Global Head of Marketing before moving to the top of Sony Interactive Entertainment in April 2019. The extremely successful market launch of the Playstation 5 took place during his tenure. Sony also acquired numerous studios under Ryan, including Firewalk, Bungie and Housemarque. Most recently, Ryan was responsible for the dismissal of over 900 Playstation employees.

Record year despite weakening PS5

Meanwhile, Sony's Playstation sales figures fell just short of expectations, which had already been lowered: in February, the company revised its forecast downwards to 21 million consoles sold for the fiscal year in light of falling sales. In fact, 20.8 million PS5s were sold in the fiscal year that ended in March. Nevertheless, revenue from the entire gaming business rose to a record 29.6 billion US dollars, which is due in part to strong game releases such as "Marvel's Spider-Man 2" and "Helldivers 2". The success of "Helldivers 2" in particular came as a surprise: the shooter sold over 12 million copies within three months of its release.

Sony expects to sell 18 million consoles in the new financial year. A technically more powerful PS5 Pro is expected at the end of 2024, but has not yet been officially confirmed.

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