Sony announces PlayStation boss Jim Ryan is retiring – WGB, Home of AWESOME Reviews

In a surprising announcement, Sony has confirmed that Jim Ryan, the current head of PlayStation, will be retiring in March 2024 after 28 years with the company. He will not be taking up any other position in the company.

The news was first broken by Bloomberg who confirmed it with several sources, and Sony was quick to release their own statement confirming the shocking news.

Jim Ryan himself had this to say: “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. 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. I want to thank Yoshida-san for placing so much trust in me and being an incredibly sensitive and supportive leader.”

 Sony Group Corporation President, COO and CFO Hiroki Totoki will assume the role of Chairman of SIE effective October 2023 before transitioning to interim CEO of SIE on April 1st, 2024 while the company works to figure out who will be permanently taking on the role.

“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.” said Hiroki Totoki. “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.”

Jim Ryan also made a separate statement on the SIE website.

“As you will have seen today in the news , I have announced my retirement after nearly 30 years at Sony Interactive Entertainment. 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. As mentioned in the press release, I will continue my role as President and CEO until March 2024. Effective April 1, 2024, Hiroki Totoki will be appointed Interim CEO of SIE while he continues his current role at Sony Group Corporation.

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.”

Ryan has held many positions in his storied career with Sony. In 2019 he stepped into the role of CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, overseeing the launch of the PlayStation 5. While the console did struggle due to supply constraints, things have picked up considerably with over 40 million consoles now sitting on people’s shelves.

In that time Ryan has also overseen the launch of numerous big PlayStation titles like God of War: Ragnarock, The Last of Us Part 2, Horizon Forbidden West, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Returnal and many more.

He’s also helped the company grow through several acquisitions, most notably Bungie, the famed creators of Destiny and the Halo franchise.

Although Jim Ryan is often mocked for not coming across as a gamer himself, there’s no denying that under his stewardship Sony Interactive has continued to be a dominant force in gaming and his retirement will mark the end of an era for the company.