New Management Structure of Sony Interactive Entertainment

Jim Ryan to retire next spring and Hiroki Totoki to assume Interim CEO role while keeping his current role at Sony Group.

[blackblades]

Y'all got what y'all wanted lets see if anything change hopefully for the better. A Japanese head would be better then Jim I bet.

[-Foxtrot]

"Y'all got what y'all wanted"

Yup...and I'm pretty sure most of us are content

His plans for the future of Sony were awful so...no great loss

Good riddance

[Eonjay]

Why did people hate him so much?
It seemed personal. I didn't get it.

[raWfodog]

@Eonjay
I think a lot of people didn't like the direction that PlayStation was going under Jim with his heavy emphasis of GaaS games being developed by the first-party studios. That's just my impression.

[-Foxtrot]

@Eonjay

Just his comments and business like approach to the industry along with some stupid sounding remarks.

He wanted a GaaS future for PlayStation and set those plans in motion (god knows if they will stop now)

We don't get much communication aswell, apart from Wolverine what else is coming to PlayStation after Spiderman 2 that isn't third party and GaaS related? Nobody wants to have games announced 3-4 years before they are actually released but give us something.

Microsoft bought Zenimax and Activision, it's clear they probably won't stop so where's the reaction from Sony? They should be doubling down hard or building up a new studio to counter the games they are missing out on but they aren't instead it's "lets throw GaaS shit at the wall like a dozen times and see what sticks"

He just hasn't really got anything on Jack Tretton and Shawn Layden

[Tapani]

Yeah you go Fox, show them how the 27 billion USD business is led. You know what is a loss for every single Playstation user and have all the insights to roadmaps and investments, I'm sure you sat in those meetings the respected and well-known leader you are, and would have made all the right calls. I'd like to thank you for speaking for all of us.

Meanwhile, in the world of reality, PS5 was launched amid global pandemic and is SIE's fastest selling console yet and the Sony Corp stock nearly doubled.

First and foremost, Jim Ryan is responsible for 12700 people, and their families, and of course shareholders, and finally the consumers who buy their products. In that order.

He and his management team has all the data in the world from the Playstation product family, including countless of consumer insight projects from multiple regions and age groups, and knows exactly where and how gamers want to play today. This is reflected on the revenue increase, unit sales in both hardware and software, and is a clear showing of his outstanding performance at a very difficult job in extraordinary circumstances.

[Philaroni]

Jack Trenton to this day might be the best CEO I ever seen, I remember to this day him coming out and saying sorry for the PlayStation outage. And, it felt real. Go back and watch it.

[-Foxtrot]

@Tapani

Oooo. Seemed to hit a nerve. Kind of strange, I think I've found a Ryan supporter...that's rare.

"You know what is a loss for every single Playstation user and have all the insights to roadmaps and investments"

But...I haven't even mentioned users and investments.

Countering points I haven't said is just going to make you look pretty stupid at the end of the day, it's like you wanted to argue but couldn't really find much in my comment to really counter so just saw what you wanted to see so you could argue back.

[Godmars290]

@Eonjay:
For me it was the "Drama Simulator" focus. Getting interactive movies called games.

Then there are all the Horizon and Last of Us remakes. Re-releases?

[itsmebryan]

@ Eonjay
I think after that whole ABK fiasco and now Sony is going to be investigated of his involvement. I knew he wasn't going to be around much longer.

[Sharky231]

@Eonjay

I don’t think people hated him. He was just more business oriented than past Heads. That doesn’t relate well with gamers.

[__SteakDeck__]

@Godmars290 Didn’t “Interactive movies” start under Shawn Layden?

[__SteakDeck__]

@Sharky231 That’s because most gamers want a “friend”. How’s that working out for Xbox? Lol

[Sunny_D]

People who think Sony are just going to change plans because he’s retiring are in for a huge disappointment. He left the PlayStation doing better than they ever have. That’s what board members and shareholders care to see. They have a 6 month plan for him to help ease the transition before his retirement for that reason.

Do people really think Sony is going to stop the GAAS games they have been working on for a few years now? No. It was a necessary thing for Sony to be able to fund their 1st party development.

[Zeref]

Those 10 GaaS games are still coming though 😏

[smashman98]

I'm hoping whoever takes over has a better marketing strategy. But i would be very surprised if sony did a 180 on their plans.

[outsider1624]

@eonjay no hate towards the guy. But it's his directions that ps is heading and well...im not sure i like it. Pretty sure others feel the same way.

[Rynxie]

The censorship of games, the woke BS being shoved down our throats in the xmb, a little bit of anti consumer policies as well. Hopefully all that goes away once he's gone.

[Northpoint]

@Eonjay
He raised PS+ to $79.99. Not cool.

[Sonic1881]

Sony fans should be happy!

[Sephiroushin]

Lol, for the worst the whole industry is headed to GaaS its what make them lot of money, so like it or not the CEO are theere working for the shareholders not you or me, they are there to get more money, the direction of Sony looking for a GaaS hit wont change at all, It was not like the CEO stopped and halted the making of story driven single players although he halted their indie games which i think should not have done but actually he talked about funding more single players with the money from GaaS games… I am a RPG especially JRPG guy mostly so I dont like them but then i do not like sports games either and i dont feel like they should go away, every niche has it people.

[Eonjay]

Thank you guys for the replies. I think all of you, even if you don't agree with each other, raise valid points.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

@Eonjay,

I wouldn't say hate, but PS fans are certainly frustrated with the way things are going, the move of HQ to California, winding down Japan Studios, refusing to port/remaster/make sequels of games like Wild Arms/Shadow Hearts (the creators had to turn to kickstarter to make spiritual successors: Armed Fantasia/Penny Blood, don't know if Ratatan is in the same situations), the puritan policy changes that destroy franchises like Senran Kagura (we'll never get 7even and I'll never know how the story ends), the lack of "classic games" we were promised in PS Plus Extra/Deluxe, the lack of exclusives this gen (especially PS5 exclusives), ect...

I haven't found a whole lot to be excited about this generation of PS, hence why I haven't felt the need to buy a PS5, others may disagree with me, but these are enough reasons for me. Someone also mentioned the hard push for GAAS titles as well, which I'm not thrilled about either.

[CombatEmu]

@Eonjay
He came off as more of a suit than someone who genuinely cares about video games. Compare him to Andy House, Shawn Layden, or Jack Tretton and it's a night-and-day difference.

[neutralgamer1992]

We want these type of charismatic PlayStation leaders with clear messaging and understanding of what make’s PlayStation strong

Shawn Layden
Andrew house
Kaz
Jack Trenton

Nothing against Jim he is just a suit who looks at numbers only. So hopefully he enjoys his retirement

I think Sony didn’t like how MS were able to acquire so much talent while Jim was sitting in the sideline

Hopefully we start to get a much clearer picture of what PlayStation will look like moving forward and less focus on GAAS

[Tapani]

But what are these numbers? If the majority wants a certain thing, even if it is GaaS, and a minority, which I am possibly part of, wants great single-player AAA game experiences, should he select us over what the "numbers" (=majority) says?

If you were in that position, and you had 12700 people in your organization, shareholders, and finally the fans who say (=numbers) they want a certain thing, would you go against it because a certain minority likes single player experiences? I certainly would go where the money and majority wants me to go. Why? Because it has the highest possibility to bring joy to the largest amount of people.

Numbers are not just digits. They are opinions, how people behave, what most people really want. I'm not in the GaaS camp personally, I don't play any multiplayer games at all, except FFXIV for the story, and only once, and mostly alone.

Besides, who knows if Jim Ryan was internally fighting the GaaS as much as he could, but had to simply present the GaaS concept in public due to internal pressure from multiple "numbers" teams?

We just really don't know, and we are not the right people to judge his performance or his character or personality. Quite frankly, the numbers are the best indication of his performance and success, not us on these forums.

[VenomUK]

Venom is calling his replacement now: Hermen Hulst.

And you can quote me on that!

[VenomUK]

…then again, how would you feel if Shawn Layden came back for another act?!

[Sunny_D]

Jim isn’t just making all the decisions regarding acquisitions. There Would have been discussions on who they would acquire. Also if you have been following the Activision acquisition case, you would know that Sony weren’t just sitting by letting MS acquire them.

[neomahi]

Yup. Shu Yoshida and Scott Rohde are great but likely better off where they are. PlayStation needs another Jack Tretton. Innovative hardware and not off the shelf parts. PlayStation pushed on PC doesn't scream "THIS IS WHY YOU NEED PLAYSTATION". It instead says "If you wait long enough, you can play a sub-par port on PC." To this day, Mario still isn't on PC. When consoles are gone and Xbox and PlayStation and Nintendo are singing around a campfire together, sure we'll talk about PC., but Jim Ryan is doing Xbox's marketing for them when he should have a pre-show to PlayStation Showcase with third-party games and then the PlayStation Showcase is why you NEED PlayStation hardware. Right after the PlayStation Showcase, Aaron Greenberg, Jim Ryans equal at Xbox shot out on social media "We have all of those." COME ON! Jim Ryans message was here's what Xbox has or he patient long enough and you can play it on PC, NOT this is why you need PlayStation. Games as Service? PlayStation NEVER followed Xbox's lead, PlayStation was the lead

[Lightning77]

I'm way more curious as to who will take his place. Who will take center stage at next year's summer gamefest. Maybe Herman Hulst will take his place? More him or anyone familiar than some unknown outsider who's intentions and motives are completely unknown to us. No telling what direction they'll take PS.

That's very worrisome.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

@Tapani,

I wish him the best in his retirement, I just hope Sony doesn't double down on GAAS or get worse in any way, game-wise, unfortunetly, we'll never be privy to what goes on behind the doors.

@neomahi

At this rate, the only console I'll buy in the future is a Switch 2, just have that and a PC.

[SyntheticForm]

This is a good thing.

[-Foxtrot]

It's Blackblades, he loves the GaaS games Sony are doing, he's all for them.

[blackblades]

Lol foxthot I don't mind them existing and don't agree with the 10 live services he planned. A few wouldve been fine but that manying is unnecessary. I also seen how successful they can be finiacally and enjoyable they can be. Unlike you who hates hates hates hates and blindly hates everything

[SyntheticForm]

@Fox

Wonderful.

Sony have said that they're committed to keeping the narrative third-person action-adventure games going, and that's alright, though I'd like to see something different and fresh and new.

Bungie I assume is going to facilitate much of that GAAS. Again, fine, but I'm not enthused, even given Bungie's shooter pedigree. I'm tired of online shooters and Destiny-likes.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

@blackblades,

I'm sure they're only rolling with that many because they expect the majority of them to die, in the end, they might only stick with one or two if they're money makers, I probably won't play any of them.

[Philaroni]

Now if my Denver Broncos could do the same........ those who know know...

[shinoff2183]

Ouch Phil. You gonna need hug

[DickyD1226]

I'm a bears fan man... I feel this...

[BlaqMagiq1]

Denver fan here. That beatdown is what we needed to know we need to clean house.

[The Wood]

Ryan was too western imo. A more eastern PS can boost the console further

[bleedsoe9mm]

Every Xbox fan is sad to see him go

[Jin_Sakai]

Good to hear! Sony knows how to clean house ever so often. Something Microsoft should’ve done ages ago with Xbox.

[Hofstaderman]

Agreed. Phil is a liability and if he had been in any other company he would have even told to go after one dismal generation.

[neomahi]

He let a lot happen that shouldn't have. Silent Hill 2 should've stayed a PlayStation exclusive, he screwed that up. Metal Gear has always been synonymous with PlayStation, and while the HD remaster crept onto Xbox 360, look at it now, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots PlayStation always marketed as not only being exclusive to PlayStation, was always only possible on PlayStation because PlayStation had that strong relationship with Konami and Square Enix. Well, look at the two now and Jim Ryan let it go that way after PlayStation before fought hard to keep Kojima happy and take care of him, now he's proudly working with Xbox on a console exclusive. Just like Insomniac had to step in Dinodookie to realize what a mistake they made after Sunset Overdrive and then being acquired and realizing how happy they were and are on PlayStation, Kojima seems to want to learn the same lesson. Andrew House wasn't going to let him, but Jim Ryan has.

There's games that should be exclusive to PlayStation and are heading to Xbox shores that shouldn't be meanwhile, Phil Spencers buying off devs with Microsoft money. During the PS1 and PS2 era, they didn't want to go anywhere else, they were happy and profitable and successful on PlayStation. Xbox is falling apart, why the hell do they want to be on Xbox when they were untouchable on PlayStation? That got lost during the PS3 era and was starting to come back with PS4, but again, Jim Ryan let that slip

[jjb1981]

Now Sony will go after Squenix.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I haven't been happy with the direction Sony has been headed in for a long time, and that started towards the end of the PS4's life cycle, maybe they can course correct.

[OptimusDK]

Nothing Will change GAAS is the future of Sony. There is a reason they bought Bungie and why he thinks it’s more valuable than ABK.

[sparky77]

Not surprising getting out while the stocks are high he knows the future isn't bright for Playstation.

[Vengeance1138]

It's a hell of alot brighter than Xbox who won't exist in 4yrs lol

[sparky77]

And yet Phil is only getting promotions instead of the boot.....interesting :)

[Vengeance1138]

@sparky

Because Xbox is almost nothing for Microsoft as a whole and them putting all their eggs in the GamePass basket then having it totally collapse on them doesn't phase MS.
PlayStation however is a large portion about 70% of Sony profits.
MS and Phil couldn't care less if Xbox goes under.

[sparky77]

I would maybe agree with you if the ABK deal wasn't approved but with ABK Xbox is here to stay.

Forever.

[Vengeance1138]

@sparky

Lmao! Source? Link? Oh right you're just saying random things to fit your narrative lol
Thanks for the chuckle.

[sparky77]

Did you not hear the CMA has pretty much approved the deal: https://www.bbc.com/news/bu...

You may of missed it since good Xbox news doesn't get posted here much.

[Vengeance1138]

@spsrky

And this has what to do with Xbox future??! Lol you seem to be clutching at ABK like a child hugging a security blanket.
You do realize if Xbox went down a year or less from now all these studios would just be sold off in a fire sale. It's not rocket science to understand.
Owning big studios does not all of a sudden make their parent company bullet proof lol what are you even smoking over there.

[maniacmayhem]

**Owning big studios does not all of a sudden make their parent company bullet proof lol what are you even smoking over there. **

Strange and absurd logic you have here, because it's just not any big studio they own, it's THE biggest studio"S" they now own and If you think MS is going under now with just CoD alone under it's belt, than you are the one that's smoking that good good kush

[Vengeance1138]

@maniac

You REALLY don't understand the goals of Xbox and it shows lol
Read this super slowly so it reaches your brain. Xbox does not give a single shit about making great games or innovating in any way. They care about you hitting that "Subscribe" button on GP. Ok? With me so far?
If those subs do not reach a 100M or more in 4yrs, investing in gaming is not worth it to them and they are out. Ok?
Right now GP is 25M or less subs.... Sooooo yeah disaster incoming bruh
You think GP numbers are gonna increase by 80M or more because CoD?! Hahahaha 🤣
Good luck with that one! Really! 🍿

[Godmars290]

@sparky77:
Man's CEO of the division. The literal tip top. What can he get promoted to?

[The Wood]

the funniest thing is MS has mismanaged too many studios and projects from the little they had over a very long period and now people hope that MS has magically turned the corner.... 'XBOX ABK is here to stay.....forever.' Grown dude\dudette sounding like my 11 year old.. .

[shinoff2183]

Sparky there's just generally not alot of good xbox news.

[maniacmayhem]

@Vengence

Ah yes, the ol "Xbox doesn't care because I say so" war cry.

Yeah, yeah, N4G has been saying Xbox is leaving the market for how long now?

Lets see, OG Xbox was supposed to be MS's last console because it was dropped early, then MS was supposedly selling their Xbox division to god knows who, then Xbox was going third party because of Game Pass, now the latest hurrah from the try hard analysts like you is in 2027 based on a made up projected analyst that isn't going to come true MS is going to leave the business.

I would say let's wait until 2027 to find out but i'm sure you will long forget your ignorance here and be well into the next stupid ballad of the Doom and Gloom of Xbox.

[Vengeance1138]

@maniac

Ummmm Phil Spencer himself literally said it from his own mouth. "Making high quality games isn't going to move the needle and make Xbox surpass PlayStation" ... Starfield can be 11/10 and it wouldn't matter.... Etc etc
I know you would rather close your eyes and believe he didn't say that but it happened. So oops! There goes your sad little narrative that it's some made up conspiracy against Xbox, uh oh!
Phil himself shouting to the world that nothing Xbox does can dethrone PlayStation. Really inspires confidence doesn't it? Words of a true leader I'm sure. Atleast one you would bow to.
Xbox is just a little side gig to Microsoft, not something essential to their future.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

@maniacmayhem,

It's not hearsay, it's straight out of the horse's mouth, they're desperate for subs, Xbox almost died early on in the Xone era until Phil Spencer convinced Microsoft that he could salavage the situation. I don't know if Xbox will exist in 5 or 10 years time, but I'm pretty confident that at least Playstation and Nintendo will still exist.

[-Mika-]

PSVR2 bombing is probably what got him removed from his position. That product flopping cost Sony billions! It's no wonder they forced him to retire.

[mandf]

It's not a flop at all the the headset is excellent

[sparky77]

I am pretty sure the whole of Sony knew that was dead on arrival they didn't even let a single first party dev make anything for it because they knew it was a waste of resources. They just wanted to get a few extra dollars from those diehard PS fans.

[Christopher]

Can you cite a source of it bombing. Only thing I've seen is that it has sold better than the predecessor and that games are still being made for it.

[blackblades]

It didn't bomb, now y'all just throwing shyt out

[Profchaos]

The headset is incredible so much so that the apple headset shares a large portion of its design with the psvr2 but I'd agree that the marketing and support has been a total clusterfk and I say that as a owner

[ziggyzinfirion]

Can you point out any source regarding this PSVR2 bombing costing Sony billions?

[EvertonFC]

VR2 is doing just fine, don't be a sheep 🐑🐑

[-Foxtrot]

I just think it's strange he put this shitty GaaS focused plan into motion and now he's suddenly decided to f*** off

Who does that

Has he been forced out or does he think he's messed up taking this risk and decided to bail early before he's later forced out.

[porkChop]

He isn't retiring until March, yet Totoki is taking over in the next month while Sony looks for a successor. If Jim wasn't being forced out they wouldn't need an interim CEO that quickly.

[-Foxtrot]

Yeah it's strange, why not just let him do his normal duties if he's still got until next March

Companies do this kind of thing all the time, they won't actually tell you if someone is being fired, they'll just say the person is looking for "new adventures or opportunities" or if they are close to an older age let them take early retirement to save face.

If it came out he was fired and forced to take retirement it wouldn't be good for PR

Nothing Jim Ryan has said or done within the past year has pointed towards him not being here to see those plans out so this is just totally out of blue in my opinion.

[Profchaos]

I think it's more than gaas money it's also the backlash from the PS plus price hikes which we know we're to offset the ps5 console price drops.

But the gaas is probably part of it the lack of communication and failing to have titles in the pipe for its products would have hurt to.

[Johnh5223]

I wouldnt mind a twisted metal gaas with your ie customizable vehicle. The lack of creativity and dormant ip’s is assanine

[tay8701]

Ryan didn't get the boot he is retiring. I'm not the biggest fan of his, but he was definitely a corporate guy and guided PS to very high profits.

[Profchaos]

These guys don't get the boot they are always asked to give their resignation

[Christopher]

Before he was a buffoon ruining the company, now he's a genius for getting out before it all goes to hell.

[neutralgamer1992]

Sparky

PlayStation is it’s strongest so not sure why they won’t have bright future. And I hope Xbox gets back to great competitive level so we as gamers get the best content and less greed

[sparky77]

That's exactly my point it is at it's strongest so it's only downhill from here, the console market is limited and without growing into other marketed like PC or mobile Playstation will fade into dust which is why he's leaving now.

[Hofstaderman]

Sparky in denial. Sony didn't say that they would shut down if their subscription services do not reach a certain figure. I would actually be more scared for XBOX right now, they at a junction and the route they taking is clearly streaming. You don't need dedicated consoles for that and it's a good indicator that they would prefer being a publisher and rather have their gamepass on competitors consoles. Listen carefully to Phil's statements and interviews. Then relook at the leaks. The writing is on the wall.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

Even though I don't like the direction they're going, I have to agree that Playstation is doing better than ever as far as sales go, meanwhile Xbox is on life support.

[Crows90]

How so. And phil already stated there wont be xbox if they cant increase numbers. So yeah. Not sure its necessarily bright for xbox either. Ps5 still selling like hotcakes while...xbox isnt.

[Sunny_D]

@sparky

Only a nimrod would take someone retiring after 30+ years as being booted.

[Barlos]

.... what? It consistently delivers some of the best first party games, and has been soundly beating Xbox in terms of console sales for every generation with the exception of PS360, which, even at its lowest point, still managed to beat Xbox by the end of the generation despite a poor launch and year delay.

I'd love to know what makes you think the future isn't bright for playstation. I'd say it looks a hell of a lot brighter than Xbox's future at this point.

[Soulsborne]

3rd place babyyyyyyyyy

[BlaqMagiq1]

Weird. Last I checked PS5 has been the number one selling console worldwide while Xbox is still in third place. If the future isn't bright for PS, then Xbox has no future.

[SwissCheese]

There is a god. Hopefully the final replacement is better.

[VenomUK]

@SwissCheese I don't get this narrative. Everybody calling Jim Ryan a 'failure' because he doesn't schmooze or behave over-top-like your best friend gamer CEO. Jim Ryan has shepherded PlayStation through some difficult times and if you look at the financials well PS5 is clearly a success. For God's sake in the UK the last-gen PS4 version of most games outsells the combined Xbox Series S/X. This is not a format wars stat but said to highlight the strong position PlayStation is in under him.

The previous PlayStation CEO Andrew House retired in 2017, 4 years after his successful launch of the PS4. Jim Ryan retiring 4 years (if you round up). So, just SPECULATING here, maybe Sony wants a CEO for just one console launch and then half-way through the gen to establish its success until the new CEO.

[SwissCheese]

That's all great - if you're an investor.

I am a gamer. Live service games, PSVR flopping, ND gone to hell, etc are all bad points for me.

[isarai]

I have been here for every generational launch since the SNES, and I've been with PS since PS1 Jim made PlayStation change the most, and not for the better imo. Under Jim PlayStation has:

Nearly completely lost interest in indie and creative games when they've always scouted and supported those outside the box.

Switched the marketplaces QA to a completely exploitable automated system instead of having quality standards like they always have. Flooding the store with spam games

Forced people to re-buy games they already own just cause it was ported, when their belief has always been " buy it once and you own it across the PS ecosystem"

Dragged on cross gen, stunting growth into the new generation, when 1st party has NEVER done cross gen before.

Increased game prices, GREATLY increased PS+

Initiated this GAAS focus, chasing trends and whales when that has never been PS style.

And most frustratingly, whatever the hell is causing half their studios to be 3+yrs from their last big release with no announcements of what's next.

Not to mention his hatred to Backwards Compatibility. There's some good sure like keeping storage upgrades out of the proprietary type, and the PS5 essentials which are now gone, but never have I ever been this unsure about the future of PS, and definitely never been this frustrated waiting for their 1st party stuff to deliver. We STILL haven't had that "Uncharted Moment" this gen with a game dropping that is clearly a big showcase of what next gen is, hopefully Spider-Man is that but we're already almost 2yrs late on that compared the every other generation.

I don't know if the next guy will be better, but I'm glad he's out.

[ApocalypseShadow]

It's just a ridiculous narrative. They all wanted Jim to be their friend like Shawn.... who was a suit....Or Jack... who was a suit... Lol. And so on.

Jim made PlayStation money. He didn't control inflation or launch COVID or all the nonsense they want to believe about him being all about GaaS games. They have no clue but want to bullshit and speculate with no facts. He must have been about Horizon, Ghost, Spider-Man, GT7, etc because he launched them too. But they ignore that and just make up shit.

The real facts is that Sony always changes leaders but continues to impress in sales, quality and innovation. Sony have never kept the same leader. Same with Nintendo. Always changed leaders. Keeps things fresh.

Notice how Sony won generations. Nintendo won generations while Microsoft, who has kept lying, misleading, misdirecting and monopolizing CEOs around and they have never won any generation. Even with more money and launching first or having the most powerful console in the world. Lol

I laugh at these individuals that place blame on Jim for keeping PlayStation on course, in the black financially and launching innovative hardware like PS5 PS VR 2.

Let them speculate when they have no facts and looking for a CEO friend that supposedly plays games like Phil. Which hasn't worked out at all. You want someone that can lead and Jim has. All these "gamers" asked for online games to go with Sony's excellent single player games. But now trash the very thing they asked for. Sonny's looking for online games that have longevity and make money to keep supporting it and fund single player games but these gamers think Sony shouldn't try to balance their portfolio.

[__SteakDeck__]

@SwissCheese PSVR was not his idea.

[Obscure_Observer]

That was fast.

I don´t think he´ll be missed by many, anyway.

Hopefully we can now have Playstation back at E3 and a more focused on single player games.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

No more Lyin' Ryan, you should be thrilled! This is what you've been asking for!

[Obscure_Observer]

"No more Lyin' Ryan, you should be thrilled! This is what you've been asking for!"

True. Bring Jack and Adam back!

[Redemption-64]

That was fast?
You bots seriously live under a rock, the guy has been with PS for about 30 years and Sony has a history of changing CEOs almost each generation

[Obscure_Observer]

"You bots seriously live under a rock, the guy has been with PS for about 30 years and Sony has a history of changing CEOs almost each generation"

Dude couldn´t even make it to three years into PS5´s life cyrcle as president and CEO of Playstation. He was forced into retirement, otherwise, Hiroki Totoki wouldn´t be taking over next month.

Spin all you want. Those are the facts.

[QSPR]

For once in my life, I'm with you Obscure_Observer, I can't believe it! Thanks for the all mighty heaven he's out.

[Asplundh]

Yeah it's really not unusual.

CEOs and Presidents
Ken Kutaragi: 1993 - 2007
Kez Hirai: 2007 - 2012
Andrew House: 2012 - 2017
John Kodera: 2017 - 2019
Jim Ryan: 2019 - 2024

SCE America
Jack Tretton: 2006 - 2014
Shawn Layden: 2014 - 2018

SCE Japan
Shawn Layden: 2007 - 2010

[Redemption-64]

@Obscure_Observer

Your ignorance and stupidity truly deserve an award. I am going to drop some fact that I know doesn't exist in whatever made-up world you live

Andrew House stepped down as CEO 4 years into the PS4's life cycle. By the time Jim Ryan steps down he would have been in the role 5 years and 4 years into the PS5's life cycle, exactly the same years as Andrew House. Now tell us us Mr bot. Where you making up these lies that Andrew House was forced out?

Now here are some more facts, Shawn Layden was also in the role for 4-5 years before stepping down. So again tell us Mr bot, was he forced out too? Am guessing these facts don't fit the lies you have cooked up in your head to make you sleep at night, but it's always laughable to such such stupidity on full display

You are telling us, the guy that has lead PS5 to record breaking sales after a huge pandemic is stepped down from his role exactly within the same time frame as the last 2 guys that had his role and you think he was forced out? Bots, truly a special breed

[Obscure_Observer]

@Redemption-64

Who said anything about Andrew House?

Jim Ryan won´t make it into three years in PS5´s life cyrcle, this is nothing but a fact!

Jim Ryan should continue as CEO until March 2024, yet, Totoki is taking over next month! Jim Ryan will not longer call the shots! Those are the facts! I don´t care what you think, so don´t bother and reply to me again.

That´s the very reason why he was forced out!

[Redemption-64]

@Obscure_Observer

Calling you stupid is actually an insult to stupid people. You are so desperate to make up lies just so you can feel better about having the memory of a sea sponge.

Andrew House was used as an example because it shows this is a strategy Sony does. Also, I noticed you have not answered the questions I asked and we all know why. The guy is staying on till next year, he has literally lead Playstation to record sales, and a bot like you think he was forced out? This is 343 Mr bot.

[neomahi]

It's not the absence of E3, that was inevitable and not a bad move. PlayStation on PC was a big mistake. Swiss Cheese pointed out what happened to Naughty Dog. Naughty Dog adopted Social Engineering and it's killing them. Before Druckmann took the reigns are got all political, they didn't have problems and were focused. Once he got all caught up on The Last of Us and preaching his agenda and his ego inflated, that's what happened. Did you see that during Uncharted when there was no political agenda, when Naughty Dog were on the right and not the left? Nope. What happened when they went to the left? This. PlayStation PC was a mistake. It was PlayStation following Xbox, when Xbox are circling the drain. Nintendo STILL is not on PC and look them tear it up. When PlayStation IS on PC, the ports are garbage anyway. Focus on consoles when you have them, when consoles die, there won't be any problem moving to PC, but there's no reason to try and transition to PC, Nintendo hasn't been and again are doing just fine.

Jim Ryan thought it would be easy. He entered the PS5 thinking he could coast on the success of the PS4, he didn't know he'd actually have to work but sit on his leather chair and sip bourbon, but he sees he actually has to work, to be aggressive, and he's not.

HERMAN HULST IS NOT THE ANSWER! He was just fine as a studio head of Guerilla, but Jim Ryan wanting a fellow Euro was a bad idea. Hulst SHOULD NOT take Ryans place. PlayStation needs someone that's a mix of Kutaragis innovation, but Trettons stage presence. Off the shelf incremental upgrades to get you to buy a mid-gen refresh is nonsense! 8-10 year lifecycle, the PS3 was build for longevity. A $1000 console that lasts 10+ years is better than a $400 console thats only good for 3 years. The iPhone is $1200 and people buy one once or twice a year. A $1000 beast of a console with massive jumps in graphical capabilities is long term. The recent Ghostbusters Trailer done by Reitmans is where graphics should be and the money would be worth it, not this mid-gen bull crap. Jim Ryan had a lot of problems. It's time to bring PlayStation back to US shores

[Redemption-64]

Playstation on PC was actually from Shawn Layden the pervious CEO. He said it himself during an interview. Jim Ryan gets the blame for it before it took effect during his run, but it wasn't his idea, he just implemented a plan that was in play before he became the head

https://www.gamesradar.com/...

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

E3's pretty much dead, expecting Playstation to come back might be too much of an ask, I'm suprised any company is still attending.

[GoodGuy09]

OH YES THANK GOD!!!!! SCREW JIM LYIN RYAN!!! The man has been nothing but eye rollers this whole gen. Sony has truly fallen...

[shinoff2183]

Fking fantastic. I'm curious how it'll be under hiroki. Hopefully different.

[Fishy Fingers]

A long term cooperate CFO. I'd hope they qucikly apoint someone who is more passionate about the medium than the money.

[__SteakDeck__]

@Fishy Finger AKA I want a friend. An Exec I can relate. “He’s a Gamer Like Me” Lol

[neomahi]

This is probably the most accurate statement. I like your thinking

[Eonjay]

No one who owns a company would ever want someone in charge who wasn't fiscally responsible. Corporations do not exist for the betterment of the consumer. At all. They exist to maximize returns for investors. And nothing else. Investors are not going to support someone in charge who does not have their best outcome in mind. That's how all corporations work.

[Northpoint]

Isn't he a huge proponent of mobile games?

[Stanjara]

Yes!

[P_Bomb]

Huge news! A lot of forums are gonna be happy as.

[goldwyncq]

Good. Playstation was destined to die a slow death under Ryan. Hoping that his successor is much better.

[TriniOutsider]

I welcome this news! Hopefully, they start focusing back on Japanese games as well.

[BeHunted]

Don Mattrick replacing Jim Ryan?

[enkiduxiv]

Thank god in heaven. Maybe we will get some single player games again soon instead of GAAS trash.

[Eonjay]

We will be getting both and then you yourself will choose which to play.

[MisterZay0000]

Thank The Heavens!!!

[tay8701]

With totoki at the helm it should help playstation aquire some Japanese studios/publishers.

[jimbo676]

I said this would happen. He lost the abk deal. Microsoft won.

[ravens52]

Wish him the best in life but... YESS!!! This is indeed what I wanted. Let's go Hiroki, let's get back to the games!

[CrimsonWing69]

Good riddance. Hopefully, the next guy up will be more Shawn Layden and less Slippin’ Jimmy.

[I_am_Batman]

Don't let the door hit you on the way out Jim.

[maniacmayhem]

Well he did say that Playstation would not be able to recover if MS purchases ABK, so he raised prices and bounced.

Anyways, not sure why people are celebrating, it's not like the next person who comes in is going to undo everything that has been set in motion for the future of Playstation already. I'm sure it wasn't Jim Ryan who made all those unpopular decisions himself alone.

[Einhander1972]

The man was dealt a really bad hand, first covid, then industry consolidation, all while trying to manage a near decade long press smear campaign, then a hack carried out by a pay for hire hacking group that's eerily similar to the Prigozhin plane crash where we're not saying who paid for it but we all know who paid for it. All I'm saying is Sony should mandate Mac or Linux on all computer hardware for all employees.

I don't blame him for getting out now, nor do I blame him for half the stuff people said about him. He made big deals with Zenimax and big deals with SquareEnix and he was a PlayStation Original, I doubt the next guy will have love for PlayStation the way I am sure he did.

Unfortunately for him he was never the right man for the public face, his charisma roll was about a 6.

[itsmebryan]

Lying Ryan is retiring. By his own choice?

[isarai]

Thank goodness, I gave Jim the benefit of the doubt when he started, but dear Lord the change in trajectory has gotten further and further from what fans loved about PlayStation. Hopefully this gets things back on track.

[CueCue]

This is the best news coming from playstation this year, please let us have The Japanese heads back, they seem to be better at this.

[__SteakDeck__]

@CueCus What? Lol It was the American heads like Andrew House and Shawn Layden that brought PS back to prominence. The last time a Japanese was in charge he almost killed it. Ken Kutatagi.

[isarai]

You really just blew over Kaz Hurai, the ACTUAL guy who brought back PlayStation from an economic crisis, along with his right hand man Shuhei Yoshida. It never wasn't the prominence though, they had a rough patch financially, but commercially they've always kept their status.

[CrashMania]

Andrew house is British.

[GrmpyolGamer]

Lying, flying, crying, dance moves Jim Ryan is out. Hopefully the replacement changes Sony's focus

[UltimateRacer]

Thanks Jim for all you’ve done for PlayStation over your 30 years, you’ve set PS5 up for another gen of dominance and continued to drive single player games like GOW,Spidey 2 etc. enjoy your retirement, well deserved.

[ocelot07]

I wish him well.

Never liked him a head if playstation.

[PhillyDonJawn]

See ya! Dude singlehandedly brought down PS

[ChiefofLoliPolice]

I'm actually happy about this. Jim was horrible CEO. Absolutely dumbshit decisions and choices. I miss Kaz, Shawn Layden and the like.

[bleedsoe9mm]

Jim failed to stop ABK someone needs to fall on the Sword

[Eonjay]

He is actually pretty up there in age and work for Sony for 30 years... he was always going to retire. He isn't falling on a Sword and he is not getting fired. It would seem that he is legit retiring.

[bleedsoe9mm]

It can be both he can step away and take blame internally. I'm just going by what Sony said themselves and how allowing this merger would devastate their business and they would never recover, whether its true or not that's how they view it.

[Elda]

Thank God!!! Hopefully Sony PS starts promoting their first-party games like they used to along with developing single-player games instead of all this gaas madness.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Thank you and I hope Hiroki is great and focuses on Japanese games.

[ROCKY28]

Now make a new WipEout !

[FatalityX77]

Anything is better than jim.

[neomahi]

LET THE GAMES BEGIN! Too bad Jack Tretton won't come back but whomever takes over needs to be much more aggressive and open to innovation. PlayStation on PC needs to stop. When consoles are dead, fine, but it's insulting and the ports have been consistently bad. Nintendo hasn't released anything on PC and are doing just fine. PlayStation needs a return to what made them great. If Phil Spencers gonna play dirty and snatch up your IPs developed by your own studios, then two can play that game. They need someone whose not afraid to stab someone else in the back apparently. Jim Ryan was lazy, passive, and liberal. It needs to be about PlayStation hardware. "It's not only exclusive to PlayStation, it's only possible on PlayStation." - Jack Tretton. Sony had the complete trust of third-party developers that decided to veer from that trust that was starting to return on the PS4 when Xbox showed their capabilities in the gaming world. When Sony entered the gaming market, there was Nintendo and SEGA. PlayStation pushed SEGA to be and do better and while SEGA of Japan were lost, eventually it came back with the Dreamcast and we saw what SEGA was again capable of doing, but it was too late, PlayStation still changed the market. Today, you don't need PlayStation because with some patience you can play it on PC. When PS5 and Xbox Series S|X were announced, Microsofts own execs said they wanted PS5 hardware because Xbox made it to he available on PC, there was no desire for new hardware.

This is a good thing so long as Sony are smart with replacing Ryan with someone more aggressive, smarter, and who wants it more

[CantThinkOfAUsername]

The PC strategy started with Shawn Layden in place. You think one guy just comes up with these decisions while twiddling his thumb? You are delusional.

[neomahi]

Phil Spencer aint sweating with Jim Ryan. Under Jack Tretton Phil Spencer was constantly worried "about [Jack] kicking him in the heels" he stated in a dual interview with Geoff Keighley, and Jack Tretton didn't seem to be too happy to he sitting on the same couch as Phil Spencer, he looked like he wanted out of there. PlayStation needs someone whose gonna make him a nervous bumbling wreck again, he's getting too comfortable and that's dangerous for Sony with Microsofts money. Jack Tretton made his life a nightmare with Kaz Harai

[Ninver]

Good riddance. Dude was out of touch from the start.

[DarXyde]

You know what I love about the PlayStation community?

I feel that this is the only community that isn't into executive worship. I really respect that. The Xbox fan worship of Spencer (despite, y'know, having largely abysmal first party content for the entirety of Xbox One) is insane. Then you've also got this weird idea that Miyamoto can do no wrong on the Nintendo side of things.

I'm glad he's leaving.

[Ninver]

Yes the ps community are a vocal bunch of passionate gamers. We've seen what is capable (games wise) and Jim just wasn't delivering like past execs.

[Rimeskeem]

I understood Jim Ryan's plans but I just don't think it's what Sony and Playstation were about. Glad he has decided to retire (he must get amazing benefits since he's only 55).

[Redgrave]

A step in the right direction, until the replacement is revealed. Even though they, too, will likely suck as well.

[Hofstaderman]

Thank you. Jim played his role now its somebody else who can bring something new to the table.

[RhinoGamer88]

Regardless of his perceived faults, he is a very wealthy man. Cut from the Bobby Kotick cloth...but not as filthy rich.

[UltimateOwnage]

Good. Now we can hopefully move away from Sony pretending to care about GaaS and never that failing enterprise to Microsoft to cut their tombstone to.

[Kaze88]

Good! on his rule Playstation has grown arrogant, no communication and horrible decisions for the consumers.

[PitbullMonster]

Let's hope lies of Phil Spencer follows.

[TheTony316]

Shu as CEO and SIE HQ back to Japan.
Revenge of the weebs

[gold_drake]

ehm wat.
that came out of nowhere lol

but good riddance i guess. i feel like he was abit too soft for the job anyways.

[TheCaptainKuchiki]

The problem is that all the veteran PS execs are gone now. So who will replace him??
Shuhei Yoshida is happy working with indies and Hermen Hulst isn't exactly a world class CEO either.

[GamingSinceForever]

What qualifies you as the person who decides who is or isn’t a world class CEO?

[TheCaptainKuchiki]

He hasn't done anything special as head of PS Studios.
2023 has been a drought year. All the 1st party titles that were released between 2020-2022 were probably already being worked on before he arrived in this position.
So 2023 should have been an important year but nothing came out so far.

[jlove4life]

Na nah na nah nah na nah na hey h hey Jim Goodbye

[jlove4life]

My stone cold Steve Austin Voice " i hope the rest of you suits take note us the consumers are your boss treat us with respect and keep us happy screaming take my money or you to fellow suits will be fired under the guise of retirement " satirical saying of course and that's the bottom line cause stone cold said so

[CantThinkOfAUsername]

Is that Bobby Kotick laughing in the background?

[DarXyde]

I really appreciate Sony being (relatively) quick on the draw. Typically with these corporations, someone has to run things into the ground before the change happens. Only took a few years, so I guess I can't complain too much. Sadly, these types tend to fail upwards. Ask Phil Harrison.

That said, it is always possible we get the King Joffre Effect: terrible dude now, and when he's gone, you get someone far worse and miss the old guy.

Keeping things in perspective, I can't be too shocked by this. He was moving PlayStation in a direction where the product was top notch, but it also becomes a "premium brand". It also seemed like the company was too eager to see what they could get away with. Doesn't help PlayStation lost access to two historically significant business partners under Ryan. I can't say he's at fault for some of those things, but yeah. He'll be blamed for it.

Looking forward to what comes next. I think of all the PlayStation execs, he looked the least like a gamer and didn't really have the thought process of a gamer. I'm sure he was chosen for perhaps his business acumen, but you lose a lot of public goodwill with a Ryan at the reins.

Anyway, we'll see how things shake out. I'm hoping things get better and I'm fairly optimistic about it.

[WelkinCole]

PS5 has not been a great gen for me sofar becase of the lack of AAA SP story focused Sony first party games. Hopefullly this will change

[purple101]

Demon souls
Returnal
Spiderman
Ratchet and clank
God of war

not do it for you?

[Johnh5223]

Great games. But there are holes in the portfolio. Shooters in particular killzone,socom, siphon filter. Quirky japanese games sony was known for gone. Missed oppurtunity with gta taking 15 years for a new release a getaway game wouldve been perfect.

[WelkinCole]

Demon Souls is great but I already played it in the PS3 era
Returnal is great yes
Spiderman again from the PS4
Ratchet is great yes
GOW was a given since last gen

Comapre to the PS3 gen for example I would by now have played Resitiance fall of man (New IP) Heavnly Sword (New IP), Warhwak, Motorstorm(New IP), Folklore(New IP), Uncharted (New IP), Infamous(New IP) off the top of my head

Guess I have been spoilt but that is what I have come to expect from Sony.

So while the PS5 is much better than comp. To me its not as good as previous PS gen in terms of AAA SP focused games

[purple101]

WEelkinCole, I suppose you are right

hevanly world and motor storm were my games.!!
(actually got a ps4pro bundle with got uncharted 4 and gt sport.)

then 2nd motorstom pacific rift came, even the third one wasn't bad,(the one with the weather effects) I had a 3d tv at the time ,and it was 3d capable..

[Whitey2k]

Let's see gass games no new game announcements or studios would love EA Games to be apart of sony hike prices of of services don't know what for , recent hacking again

[Soulsborne]

Finally, back at it again.

[ModsDoBetter]

Thank goodness!

Though I do worry that Hiroki becomes a fall guy for the inevitable GaaS failures.

Regardless, Jim out of the picture is excellent news.

[fxa5209]

Don't let the door hit you on the way out Jim.... one of the worst era's for ps gamers.... but can be described as successful financially to Sony. His Era can be said as an Era with less exclusives, more focus on pc, boring state of play, and multi hikes of ps plus services.

[Grayson076]

BRING BACK SHUHEI-YOSHIDA

Sincerely though, everyone loved Shuhei during the late-PS3 and majority of the PS4 days. He was one of thee faces of Playstation, and did a great job as head of Worldwide Studios. He's been out of the spotlight for the past four years, but he's got all the experience to handle this, and is loved by gamers in ways that his predecessor was not. If there's someone who seems capable for the job, and can restore some of the goodwill that some of Ryan's decisions lost, I think it's Shu.

What do you all think?

[Johnh5223]

He made a bad play with 50% gaas. I would rather they have multiplayer with the single player games. Bring back Original socom give it to bungie.bring back getaway add multiplayer like gta. No fortnight clones

[VariantAEC]

If people hate Jim Ryan for GaaS games. That aggression is entirely misplaced. Hate mobile whales, this is why Nintendo - Yes, Nintendo! - and PS are making GaaS games now. MS may have gotten the ball rolling, but it was mobile games that hooked some really rich people into spending their life fortunes on fear of missing out aapects of live service games and ever since gaming has changed for the worse.

This is not Jim Ryan's fault and even if it was his idea to make 10 GaaS games it's more likely that this was prompted by the shareholders who likely wanted PS to become an entirely live service platform. A few live service (GaaS) games are making massive amounts of cash. Shareholders see that and only think "Cha-chiiing!!!" It was Jim Ryan that probably said we can't do that which would explain the remarks made at all the events since the announcement of development of all these live service titles. Statements similar to 'We remain dedicated to delivering quality single-player experiences.' Things like this were said so the core doesn't flip their lid and so flaky casuals don't abandon PS, but it is also true that they won't make everything GaaS. Its also true that if PS quality GaaS titles flop hard and lose these shareholder's money, shareholders might change their tune. Some might pull out most will hopefully recognize they shouldn't be pushing PS in any particular direction.

I really hope PS goes private stopping investments on wall-street.

Now I'll veer a bit into "conspiracy theory land" We already see that MS is pushing to control Nintendo. It it possible that this is also why PS is going GaaS where Nintendo already has a huge GaaS IP in Splatoon? Did any of MS' investments push Nintendo to make Splatoon? We may never know but we do know that Splatoon was made when Nintendo was hurting badly in the Wii U era. MS' MO is to buy low get controlling investments and make moves that benefit them long term. Splatoon was a success though and so was Nintendo Switch. MS continues to invest penny by penny through a 3rd party according to Phil Spencer himself. Is that also happening to PS? Who knows. No one, and I'd hope PS can vet investors in some way, even though they are a publicly traded company at the moment.

[Chittlins]

Yep I'm stoked. Burn GaaS to the ground. Support the Sony fans for what they are.

[v_eno_m]

I would love to see Cory Barlog at the helm