What do you want from the next PlayStation CEO?

[Yurinka]

Playstation can go back to Japan

Sony is a Japanese company, he also had to spend a week in Japan every month.

Yeah, that’s true. People forget all of that. Also he was very conservative in acquisitions. Between 2011 to 2019 he only purchased 1 studio which was Insomniac.

Maybe they were negotiating it since before, but Jim Ryan closed the Insomniac acquisition in 2019 under his command. He has been the SIE CEO who acquired more studios.

As it stands

The curent CEO is Jim Ryan and in april 2024 will be replaced by Totoki ( could be temporary or they decide its gona be permanent who knows but fact is thats what gona happen)

As it stands it has been decided that Totoki won't be the permanent SIE CEO, he will be only interim CEO until after on March 31 Jim Ryan retires and the new CEO gets announced (pretty likely Eric Lempel or Lin Tao will get promoted to CEO).

Insomniac: California
Naughty Dog: California
Santa Monica: California
Sucker Punch: Washington
Bend: Oregon

It makes perfect sense to manage all these teams from Tokyo. The Playstation CEO really needs daily briefings on Gran Turismo 8 development.

These studios are managed by the head of PS Studios, Hermen Hulst (from Netherlands), not the SIE CEO. Then Hermen reports to the SIE CEO.

PS Studios is part of SIE, which is a division/subsidiary of Sony. Which is a Japanese company.

SIE has teams all around the world, like Guerrilla, the European XDEV team, Housemarque, Media Molecule, Firesprite, Nixxes, Sony London in EU or Polyphony, Team Asobi, the Asian XDEV team or Visual Arts Malaysia in Asia. Plus the hardware guys and SIE+Sony HQ in Tokyo too.

 

[Yurinka]

Japan studio went away because it was not profitable and it was dysfunctional. It’s gone all they could salvage was team asobi. Japan studio didn’t make triple A games they were double A at best and the games barely sold even in Japan. Sony isn’t going down that road again. They will probably buy some Japanese devs but it won’t be to have them making the type of games Japan studio made. It will be high production quality more western type games.

Sure, but there's enough game dev talent in Japan to build a new Japan Studio. It doesn't have to be the same people from before.

They don't need to build a new Japan Studio because Japan Studio didn't went away. They simply restructured it changing their management and splitting the 2nd party publishing part to have their own office and now report to XDEV directly, and merging their different internal developent teams into Team Asobi in a new office.

Both teams continue working in the same building they were working when branded as Japan Studio.

But yes, in addition to have them and Polyphony they could create or acquire one or more Japanese studios.

 

[Systemshock2023]

These days Playstation is as American as the Dallas Cowboys. Even if Sony leadership is japanese, they all talk the language of money. And for better or worse, getting more and more westernized is what started to bring in the money mid 7th gen until now, they won't do a 180 degree turn because reasons.

 

[flaccidsnake]

These days Playstation is as American as the Dallas Cowboys. Even if Sony leadership is japanese, they all talk the language of money. And for better or worse, getting more and more westernized is what started to bring in the money mid 7th gen until now, they won't do a 180 degree turn because reasons.

Bungie and Firesprite are also in Bellevue Washington, same as Sucker Punch. 8 of their teams are on the US west coast. It would be such a mistake to appoint a CEO in Japan. Even Europe is hard to justify compared to Playstation 2011. Ryan actually shut down 4 UK teams as CEO.

 

[Umar]

 

[anonpuffs]

Nah he's only been with the company for a year and change.

 

[Eternal_Wings]

Nah he's only been with the company for a year and change.

Wrong. He is since 2021 working for Sony. He got within a year appointed as company director of SIE. Highest position aside CEO and Chairman. Also it doesn’t matter how long an employee is working at a company. That’s a low minded sight. Takashi Kiryu never worked before and was hired as Square Enix CEO. Just saying how long you have been working at company doesn’t matter. What’s important is your competence. Kiichiro Urata saved Capcom and made them into one of the most successful Japanese gaming companies.

 

[anonpuffs]

Wrong. He is since 2021 working for Sony. He got within a year appointed as company director of SIE. Highest position aside CEO and Chairman. Also it doesn’t matter how long an employee is working at a company. That’s a low minded sight. Takashi Kiryu never worked before and was hired as Square Enix CEO. Just saying how long you have been working at company doesn’t matter. What’s important is your competence. Kiichiro Urata saved Capcom and made them into one of the most successful Japanese gaming companies.

Oh i guess it has been 2 years now. Regardless 2 years is too soon.
Also takashi kiryu is a different matter. Square needed new blood. Sony doesn't.

 

[Eternal_Wings]

Oh i guess it has been 2 years now. Regardless 2 years is too soon.
Also takashi kiryu is a different matter. Square needed new blood. Sony doesn't.

Nah that’s cope. It works every elsewhere the same. Being longer working in a company is not a requirement to become CEO.

 

[anonpuffs]

Nah that’s cope. It works every elsewhere the same. Being longer working in a company is not a requirement to become CEO.

Well Sony doesn't operate by your rules. They have always promoted from inside.

 

[AshHunter216]

Well Sony doesn't operate by your rules. They have always promoted from inside.

To be fair, the guys he's talking about is inside Sony and could technically be a candidate. It will probably be quite a while before we find out who the permanent ceo will be at any rate though.

 

[JAHGamer]

Chill out guys, I couldn't care less what country the CEO is from as long as he does a good job

 

[Eternal_Wings]

Well Sony doesn't operate by your rules. They have always promoted from inside.

What imaginary rules are you talking about?
Kiichiro Urata is a Sony employee.
He has been hired for nearly 3 years now by Sony. So what are you arguing about?
Everyone who talking Kiichiro Urata down, has clearly no idea what they are talking about. He saved Capcom from their misery!
Capcom was about to collapse, but the managed them all extraordinary well. It’s really unfair to disparage his achievements.
You can deny him as much as you want… but well you will see. I have predicted that Jim Ryan would go after ABK battle had been decided and I was right.

 

[anonpuffs]

What imaginary rules are you talking about?
Kiichiro Urata is a Sony employee.
He has been hired for nearly 3 years now by Sony. So what are you arguing about?
Everyone who talking Kiichiro Urata down, has clearly no idea what they are talking about. He saved Capcom from their misery!
Capcom was about to collapse, but the managed them all extraordinary well. It’s really unfair to disparage his achievements.
You can deny him as much as you want… but well you will see. I have predicted that Jim Ryan would go after ABK battle had been decided and I was right.

He was hired in september 2021, that's not "nearly 3 years". Also cool story bro but Sony is not "about to collapse" so idk why you think that experience is relevant here. 2 years simply is not enough time to learn the organization, establish deep professional relationships with worldwide 3rd party partners, gain experience with new gen hardware r&d, etc. Maybe in 3 more years he can be under consideration.

 

[Eternal_Wings]

He was hired in september 2021, that's not "nearly 3 years". Also cool story bro but Sony is not "about to collapse" so idk why you think that experience is relevant here. 2 years simply is not enough time to learn the organization, establish deep professional relationships with worldwide 3rd party partners, gain experience with new gen hardware r&d, etc. Maybe in 3 more years he can be under consideration.

You’re being ignorant right now. Ignoring points and keep clinging to an empty assertion. I bet you will hide when Kiichiro Urata will be appointed as CEO in 2024 like all the disbeliever when I said Jim Ryan will retire.

 

[anonpuffs]

You’re being ignorant right now. Ignoring points and keep clinging to an empty assertion. I bet you will hide when Kiichiro Urata will be appointed as CEO in 2024 like all the disbeliever when I said Jim Ryan will retire.

Sure, I'll hide when the thing that won't happen doesn't happen in 2024

 

[Eternal_Wings]

Sure, I'll hide when the thing that won't happen doesn't happen in 2024

Dudes in disbelief said the same that Jim Ryan would not step down. Amusing how you’re in denial.
I will remind you when we get official news next year. Bookmarked.

 

[anonpuffs]

Dudes in disbelief said the same that Jim Ryan would not step down. Amusing how you’re in denial.
I will remind you when we get official news next year. Bookmarked.

Sure sure

 

[Dabaus]

I saw someone on 4chan say Jim Ryan was a peace time ceo. PlayStation was on top, all he had to do was hold it down and not mess it up. I think he did a good job of that, but now they need a war time ceo. I think that’s why they are having the cfo, acquisitions guy and about to be ceo of the whole company take Jim’s place. I think the Japanese interim guy will make moves with Japanese publishers. I would assume.

 

[JAHGamer]

I saw someone on 4chan say Jim Ryan was a peace time ceo. PlayStation was on top, all he had to do was hold it down and not mess it up. I think he did a good job of that, but now they need a war time ceo. I think that’s why they are having the cfo, acquisitions guy and about to be ceo of the whole company take Jim’s place. I think the Japanese interim guy will make moves with Japanese publishers. I would assume.

He did mess it up though, he inherited a well oiled machine and mucked it up with PC ports, greenlit 12+ gaas games, made several terrible acquisitions like Bungie/Nixxes, crappy subscription services, pointless cloud focus, and worst of all, shutdown Japan Studio.

Edit - Also a ton of games went over to Xbox under his watch and not only that but Xbox got marketing rights and exclusive next gen features to long time PS exclusive titles (Sega), Death Stranding and MLB also went to GamePass. He was horrible at his job.