Today, Sony Group Corporation and Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced a new management structure of Sony Interactive Entertainment. Current SIE President & CEO Jim Ryan has announced that he is retiring next Spring in March 2024 after almost thirty years with PlayStation. Effective October 2023, Sony Group Corporation President, COO and CFO Hiroki Totoki will assume the role of Chairman of SIE. Effective April 1, 2024, Totoki will be appointed interim CEO of SIE while he continues his current role at Sony Corporation Group as both parties find a successor of the SIE CEO role.
Jim Ryan joined Sony Interactive Entertainment back in 1994 with the Europe-based legal entity, Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe (SIEE) – at the time, it was known as Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. In Ryan’s thirty years at the company, he has held a number of senior positions including President of SIEE, Head of Global Sales and Marketing at SIE and Deputy President of SIE since January 2018, before being appointed SIE President and CEO.
“As you will have seen today in the news , I have announced my retirement after nearly 30 years at Sony Interactive Entertainment, Jim Ryan said. “I did not take this decision lightly and I absolutely love SIE and our community, but of late I’ve been finding it increasingly difficult to strike the right balance between having my home in the UK and my job in the United States.”
Ryan continued:
“I feel humbled at having the opportunity to lead a company delivering products that touch millions of lives. From award-winning games to the incredibly immersive technical achievements delivered with PlayStation 5, I’m immensely proud of what we have achieved and very optimistic for the future of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
From my beginning in Europe, it was clear that Sony had built something truly special. Generations later I am still amazed by the excitement and passion of the PlayStation community. It is thanks to you that we have been able to keep innovating and delivering even greater experiences. Since 1994, generations of gamers have inspired us to be better, to push the boundaries, and the results have been incredible.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“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,” Sony Group Corporation Chairman and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said. “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. 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.”
Sony Group Corporation President, COO and CFO Hiroki Totoki said “I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Jim Ryan for his outstanding achievements and contributions over his 30-year career at Sony, including the great success of launching the PlayStation 5. The PlayStation business managed by SIE is an essential part of Sony Group’s entire business portfolio. I will work with Jim and the senior management team closely to ensure our continued success and further growth. I am also looking forward to creating the exciting future of PlayStation and the game industry together with everyone at SIE and its business partners.”