Yesterday, Sony announced that they are making a shift in leadership for their PlayStation brand. Longtime Sony executive, former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe, and current deputy president of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) Jim Ryan will move up and become the next president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. Current SIE president John Kodera will step down into the deputy president role at the company. Thus, Ryan and Kodera are effectively just switching positions at SIE. This swap will be taken into effect on April 1, 2019.
In the announcement, after talks with Kodera, Sony’s president Kenichiro Yoshida stated, “I have decided to change the management structure of SIE to ensure sustainable evolution of the PlayStation platform and further growth of the network area.” Kodera became SIE president in 2017 after Andrew House stepped down and left the company. As deputy president, Kodera will “further develop PlayStation Network” and “creating innovative services and experiences” for its massively growing userbase and to combat new competition that is entering the space.
In his new position, Ryan will now oversee all operations at SIE, and will now directly report to Yoshida. Ryan, who has been with Sony since the earliest days of PlayStation, humbly accepted his new position stating, “It’s a huge honor to be asked to take on the role of President and CEO of SIE.” Ryan plans to use his over two decades of experience with Sony for “reinforcing the foundations of the Game & Network Service business, and in evolving the entertainment that PlayStation offers to its engaged and passionate community.” Ryan also promised that PlayStation will still be “Best Place to Play” as he leads the company into the future. Along with the promotion to SIE president, Ryan will now also become the representative director and president of SIE’s Japan-based legal entity.
This executive shakeup is just another step in Sony securing the future of the PlayStation brand as the next console generation nears. The company appears to already have its first party studios focusing on the next generation along with patenting form of backwards compatibility. Sony is also skipping E3 this year as Shawn Layden recently stated the company wouldn’t have new thing to say at the event.