Sony names two people as the new CEOs for its PlayStation business

In September 2023, Jim Ryan announced he would be retiring from Sony and leaving his role as president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment at the end of March 2024. Today, Sony announced that it has named two people for separate CEO roles at SIE, which includes the PlayStation division. Both will officially begin working in their new gigs on June 1.

In a press release, Sony announced that one of the new CEOs will be Hideaki Nishino, He will be in charge of SIE's Platform Business Group. He currently serves as the senior vice president for the Platform Experience Group. Sony stated:

In his new capacity as CEO of the Platform Business Group, Nishino will continue to be responsible for technology, products, services, and platform experience. He will also oversee third party publisher and developer relations and commercial operations, including sales and marketing of hardware, services, and peripherals.

The other new SIE CEO will be Hermen Hulst, who will be running the company's Studio Business Group. Hulst currently works as the senior vice president and head of the PlayStation Studios division. He previously was the co-founder of Guerrilla Games. Sony said in his new CEO role, Hulst will be "responsible for the development, publishing, and business operations of SIE's first-party content."

In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Hulst stated:

It’s a true privilege to be asked to lead the new Studio Business Group for Sony Interactive. I’m excited to continue working with incredibly talented teams and studios to deliver unforgettable game and entertainment experiences.

Both of the new PlayStation CEOs will have their own set of challenges after taking over from Jim Ryan. The division announced it was cutting 900 team members back in February, which included shutting down its London studio. The company also offered a warning in February that it had cut back its projections for PS5 sales for its current fiscal year and there will not be a major first-party PlayStation game released until sometime in 2025.