Farewells are the hardest words to say and I imagine the burden will be bigger for someone like Jim Ryan who has spent almost three decades of his life at Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). The CEO recently announced that he would be stepping aside from the company in March 2024.
“After 30 years, I have made the decision to retire from SIE in March 2024,” said the PlayStation boss in a statement. “I’ve relished the opportunity to have a job I love in a very special company, working with great people and incredible partners.”
A press release by the company revealed that Sony Group Corporation President, COO and CFO Hiroki Totoki will take the role of Chairman of SIE starting from October 2023. Come 1 April 2023, Totoki will assume the role of Interim CEO of SIE while also continuing his role at Sony Group Corporation.
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Jim Ryan joined SIE Europe (SIEE) in 1994 when it was still Sony Computer Entertainment Group. He rose through the role of various senior positions at the company before becoming the President and CEO of SIE. Some of the positions he held previously include;
- President of SIEE
- Head of Global Sales and Marketing at SIE
- Deputy President of SIE
“I’ve found it increasingly difficult to reconcile living in Europe and working in North America,” said Jim Ryan, hinting at his reason for retirement. “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.”
What will Jim Ryan be most remembered for?
While Jim Ryan will be leaving behind a long trail of successes, I reckon he would be most remembered for his bravery in launching PlayStation 5 in the heat of a pandemic. While everyone was forced to cower in their homes, Jim Ryan saw the opportunity to lighten the mood and keep people entertained—and it worked.
Momentarily after the launch of the PS5, people had something else to talk about rather than counting infections and fatalities. As of July, Sony confirmed that it has sold over 40 million units of PS5 consoles. That puts the PS5 well ahead of Xbox Series X|S which has only sold over 21 million units to date.
Sony Group Corporation Chairman and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida acknowledged Jim Ryan’s bravery in his statement.
“Jim Ryan has been an inspirational leader throughout his entire period with us, but never more so than in overseeing the launch of PlayStation 5 in the midst of the global COVID pandemic,” Yoshida said. “That extraordinary achievement made by the entire SIE team has been steadily built on and PlayStation 5 is on track to become SIE’s most successful console yet.”
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Other interesting PS5 products have been launched under the watch of Jim Ryan which are all coming together to transform PlayStation from just a console to a total gaming experience—talking about the PlayStation Portal, PlayStation Pulse 3D, PS VR2, and so on.
Jim has a library of games under his belt too
Since Jim Ryan’s promotion to PlayStation’s top job in 2019, he has not only spearheaded a flurry of hardware releases but has also orchestrated software readjustments. It was under his tenure that the PlayStation subscription service, PS Plus, really blossomed to the point where it is now a direct competitor to Xbox Game Pass.
He also oversaw the launch of several PlayStation exclusives like God of War Ragnarok and Horizon Forbidden West, both of which have been huge successes in their own rights. Perhaps, PlayStation fans can call Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Jim Ryan’s parting gift.
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The sudden departure is coming at a time when Microsoft and Xbox are splashing cash on studio acquisitions including the monumental takeover of Activision Blizzard. All eyes and attention will now shift to Totoki who already seems to have eyes set on bigger things.
“I will work with Jim and the senior management team closely to ensure our continued success and further growth,” Totoki said in the press release. “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.”
As we bid Jim Ryan farewell, we would like to ask what your most fond memories of him will be. Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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