PlayStation goes from no one in charge to two as Jim Ryan replacements announced-GameCentral-Entertainment – Metro

Hulst used to work at Horizon Zero Dawn developer Guerrilla Games (Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Over a month since previous PlayStation boss Jim Ryan left, PlayStation now has two joint-CEOs, with Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino.

For the last two years, PlayStation has become increasingly uncommunicative, not revealing any major new games and what few announcements it does make occurring only through bland PlayStation Blog posts.

Previous PlayStation boss Jim Ryan was never seen much in public anyway, but when he announced his retirement last September things went completely dark. He left in March, but at the time there was no word of a replacement. But now we know that there will be two people in charge, not just one.

Former Guerilla Games boss, and current president of SIE Worldwide Studios, Hermen Hulst always seemed a likely candidate to take the top job, but he will have to share the position with senior vice president of platform experiences Hideaki Nishino, who forms the other half of the, hopefully, dynamic duo.

There’s a pretty clear split in terms of what each person is in charge of, with Hulst becoming CEO of the newly formed Studio Business Group, which will include all first party developers and those in charge of adapting PlayStation properties into movies and shows.

At the same time, Nishino becomes CEO of the Platform Business Group, which is in charge of everything hardware related, as well as PlayStation Network and third party relations (including indies). He’s not a name most PlayStation fans will know but he’s been at Sony since 2006 and this won’t be very different to his current role.

Both will have to report to Sony Interactive Entertainment chairman Hiroki Totoki, who has been filling in as acting CEO since Jim Ryan left. Despite his power, Totoki isn’t someone that fans will recognise either, but he’s also president, chief operating officer, and chief financial officer of Sony Group Corporation. Which must mean he has a really big office.

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These changes won’t come into effect until June 1 and yet a not-E3 style preview showcase is expected from PlayStation towards the end of this month. It’s possible that one or other of the new CEOs will make an appearance there, as even Jim Ryan used to pop up in the summer events, if only for a few minutes.

‘I am thrilled to lead the studio business group and continue to build on our success with PlayStation 5, while preparing for the future,’ said Hulst. ‘The video game industry is one of the largest entertainment industries in the world and has been built on the marriage of content and technology, and I look forward to continuing to push the boundaries of play and entertainment.’

‘I am honoured to be appointed such an important role alongside Hermen,’ added Nishino. ‘By working more closely together, we will be positioned to build incredible experiences for an ever-expanding audience now and in the future.’

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