When PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan left the company last year, he was replaced by Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino as co-CEOs. Sony has now announced, however, that it is instituting a change in leadership starting April 1.
Hideaki Nishino is being promoted to President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment and will now be PlayStation’s sole head. Hermen Hulst will continue to serve as the CEO of the Studio Business Group, which means he will still be heading PlayStation’s portfolio of first-party studios. However, he will now be reporting to Nishino rather than leading PlayStation alongside him.
“I am truly honored to take the helm at Sony Interactive Entertainment,” Nishino said. “Technology and creativity are two of our biggest strengths as we continue to focus on developing experiences that deliver entertainment for everyone. We will continue to grow the PlayStation community in new ways, such as IP expansion, while also delivering the best in technology innovation. I want to thank Hermen for his expertise and leadership as he continues his role as CEO of Studio Business Group. I am deeply grateful for the PlayStation community and their continued support, and I am very excited for what the future holds.”
Sony says Nishino will also continue serving as CEO of the Platform Business Group. Meanwhile, Hulst’s responsibilities will still include overseeing “development, publishing, and business operations of SIE’s first party content”, and “developing games across many devices including PlayStation consoles and PCs and bringing video game IP to new mediums through PlayStation Productions.”
Whether Hulst’s downward shift is a result of PlayStation’s recent troubled first-party performance remains to be seen. The company’s live service ambitions have taken a beating, with multiple project cancellations, studio closures, and high-profile failures like Concord.
The leadership shakeup comes alongside Sony Group Corporation seeing similar changes, with CEO Kenichiro Yoshida set to be replaced by Hiroki Totoki. Meanwhile, Totoki himself is being succeeded as Sony Group CFO by Lin Tao, former senior vice president of finance and corporate development.
