Jim Ryan will step down as president and CEO of PlayStation in March 2024

UPDATE (09/28/2023): Sony has issued an official statement confirming the departure of Jim Ryan.

The president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment will leave the company in March 2024, and will be replaced on an interim basis by Hiroki Totoki, current president, COO and CFO of Sony Group Corporation, while a definitive successor for Ryan is searched.

Jim Ryan explains in the statement that “after thirty years I have made the decision to retire from SIE in March 2024. I have had the opportunity to have a job that I have loved in a very special company, working with great people and incredible partners.”

“However, I have found it increasingly difficult to balance life in Europe with work in North America. I will no longer have the privilege of working on products that have touched millions of lives around the world; PlayStation will always be a part of my life and I am “more optimistic than ever about the future of SIE. I want to thank Yoshida-san for all the trust in me and for being such a sensitive and understanding leader.”

The one who will initially temporarily replace Ryan in his position, Hiroki Totoki, added that “I want to express my sincere gratitude to Jim Ryan for his achievements and contributions during his thirty-year career at Sony, including the great success of the launch of PlayStation 5”.

“The PlayStation business managed by SIE is an essential part of Sony Group. I will work with Jim and the senior management team to ensure our future success and further growth. I am also looking forward to creating the exciting future of PlayStation and the video game industry together with everyone at SIE and its partners.

Original news (09/27/2023): Jason Schreier stated a few minutes ago that Jim Ryan, the president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), is leaving his position.

The Bloomberg journalist claims that two sources have confirmed the news, but there is still no official announcement from Sony. If confirmed in the next few hours, it would be one of the most important news in the video game industry in recent times.

Jim Ryan began working at Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe (SIEE) in 1994, a year before the launch of the first PlayStation. At that time his job was to establish the division in Europe, among other things choosing its offices and hiring staff.

Since then he has held various positions, and in August 2011 he was named president and CEO of SIEE. Years later, in April 2016, he was promoted to SIE’s global head of sales and marketing. In January 2018 he was named vice president of SIE, and finally in February 2019 it was announced that he would become president and CEO of SIE, becoming the head of PlayStation.