Danica Davidson
September 28, 2023 
Things are going to be changing at PlayStation, where it was just announced that CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) Jim Ryan has decided to retire next year. Ryan began working for PlayStation in 1994 and worked his way up, eventually becoming CEO of SIE in 2019.
Ryan put out a public statement explaining his move. “After 30 years, I have made the decision to retire from SIE in March 2024. I’ve relished the opportunity to have a job I love in a very special company, working with great people and incredible partners. But I’ve found it increasingly difficult to reconcile living in Europe and working in North America. 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. I want to thank Yoshida-san for placing so much trust in me and being an incredibly sensitive and supportive leader.”
The news initially came out when Jason Schreier of Bloomberg shared it online. Later on, Sony confirmed it.
On April 1, Hiroki Totoki is set to become interim CEO. In addition to this, he will begin being chairman of SIE in October as a way to “support Mr. Ryan in his transition,” according to Sony. He will be collaborating with Sony Group Corporation Chairman and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida to find a more permanent SIE CEO.
IGN described Ryan’s retirement as a “massive shake-up in the industry.” Sony is very invested in its PlayStation division, as it’s brought the business lots of money. This past summer Sony revealed that it had sold an amazing 40 million PlayStation 5s. The PlayStation 5 debuted in 2020, and while these numbers aren’t quite as high as the PlayStation4, they’re still sizable.
Source: IGN
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
