Jim Ryan, the head of PlayStation and CEO of Sony, is stepping down. In a press release on Wednesday, Sony announced that Ryan will retire in March 2024, while Sony Group Corporation president and chief operating officer Hiroki Totoki will become the interim CEO of Sony starting April 1st, 2024.
“After 30 years, I have made the decision to retire from SIE in March 2024. I’ve relished the opportunity to have a job I love in a very special company, working with great people and incredible partners,” Ryan says in a statement. “But I’ve found it increasingly difficult to reconcile living in Europe and working in North America. I will leave having been privileged to work on products that have touched millions of lives across the world; PlayStation will always be part of my life, and I feel more optimistic than ever about the future of SIE.”
Ryan has worked at Sony for 28 years, starting his career at the company’s European branch in 1994, where he’s held several leadership positions, including the head of global sales and marketing. In 2019, Ryan replaced John Kodera as the president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. Totoki will become the chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment in October 2023 ahead of Ryan’s departure.
Ryan has been a persistent figure in the battle between Microsoft and the FTC over its plans to buy gaming publishing behemoth Activision Blizzard. Earlier this year, comments from Ryan surfaced stating that the acquisition wasn’t about console exclusivity, contradicting claims Sony made publicly that the deal could negatively impact Activision Blizzard games appearing on PlayStation consoles.
As interim CEO, Sony says Totoki “will work closely with Sony Group Corporation Chairman and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida and the management team of SIE to help define the next chapter of PlayStation’s future, including the succession of the SIE CEO role.”
