Jim Ryan is leaving, and Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino are taking over.
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SEI) has just made an announcement regarding a new leadership structure that would place two individuals in charge of distinct aspects of the company’s operations. Beginning on June 1, Hideaki Nishino, who is holding the position of Senior Vice President for the Platform Experience Group at the moment, will take over as Chief Executive Officer of the Platform Business Group at SIE. Following his tenure as Senior Vice President and Head of PlayStation Studios, Hermen Hulst will be promoted to the position of Chief Executive Officer for SIE’s Studio Business Group on the same day.
After Jim Ryan made the decision in March to step down from his position as CEO of SEI, the two executives are now taking over their respective positions. At the time of his leaving announcement, he stated that he was experiencing “increasingly difficult” difficulties in balancing his family life in the United Kingdom with his job that is based in the United States. Ryan was instrumental in establishing the company’s foothold in Europe and handled the introduction of the PlayStation 5 while the pandemic was in full swing. Nishino and Hulst will both report to Hiroki Totoki, who will take a step back and continue his duty as Chairman of SIE in addition to his roles as President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer of Sony Group Corporation with the temporary CEO position.
At the moment, Nishino is in charge of the group that is responsible for developing all of the experiences and technology for PlayStation goods and services. Those responsibilities will continue to fall under his purview, but he will also be in charge of supervising the company’s collaboration with third-party publishers and developers. As part of his responsibilities at SIE, Nishino will be in charge of the company’s commercial operations, which will include sales and marketing for all PlayStation gear, services, and peripherals. While this is going on, Hulst has been leading the charge for the development of content for both PlayStation consoles and personal computers. Additionally, he is in charge of the production of games that have been adapted into movies and television shows, such as “The Last of Us.” Eventually, he will be “responsible for the development, publishing, and business operations of SIE’s first-party content.” This responsibility will be his responsibility.