Shuhei Yoshida recounts the internal impact of Jim Ryan's appointment as PlayStation CEO in 2019
, by Thibaut
When Jim Ryan took over as CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2019, he turned the company's organizational chart upside down. So much so, that some of the company's most emblematic figures lost their positions or had to change roles.
This is all according to Shuhei Yoshida, who recently left PlayStation after 31 years working for the Japanese company. From 2008 to 2019, Yoshida managed the brand's in-house studios. Under his direction, we got some iconic titles such as The Last of Us, inFamous, Marvel's Spider-Man, Horizon and God of War. However, this didn't stop Ryan from dismissing him when he took over.
In his interview with VentureBeat, Yoshida revealed that he was forced to change jobs to take care of the indie games section. It was either that or leave, he says. Of course, Yoshida was passionate about his new role, but it was imposed on him by Jim Ryan.
We also learn that, once appointed CEO of PlayStation, Ryan abolished the individual headquarters of the various branches. The company's US branch (SIEA) disappeared, and the division's CEO, Shawn Layden, was fired.
In any case, Jim Ryan left PlayStation back in March 2024. After a period of transition, it's finally Hideaki Nishino at the reigns.
Source: venturebeat.com