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PlayStation names Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino as its new CEOs

PlayStation names its successors to Jim Ryan

www.gamesindustry.biz

PlayStation names Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino as its new CEOs​

Hulst will lead the Studios business, while Nishino takes charge of the platform side


Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino will jointly succeed Jim Ryan as the CEOs of Sony Interactive Entertainment.


Hulst is CEO of the newly named Studio Business Group, which includes all of PlayStation’s first-party teams, plus covers the development of PlayStation IP onto other mediums, such as TV and film. Hulst was already head of PlayStation Studios. He was previously the co-founder of Horizon and Killzone developer Guerrilla Games, which was acquired by Sony in 2005.

"I am thrilled to lead the studio business group and continue to build on our success with PlayStation 5, while preparing for the future,” Hulst said in a statement. “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.”


Hideaki Nishino will lead the Platform Business Group, which includes console hardware, technology, accessories, PlayStation Network and third-party relations (covering major publishers and indie studios). He was already SVP of Platform Experiences. He’s been part of the Sony business since 2006, holding numerous roles at Sony Network Entertainment, Sony Corporation and SIE.


"We will continue to connect players and creators through world-class products, services, and technology," Nishino said. "We always strive to grow our community even bigger with innovation in every area at Sony Interactive Entertainment.”


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


Both leaders will report to Sony Interactive Entertainment chairman Hiroki Totoki, who has been acting CEO of the division since Jim Ryan stepped down from the role at the end of March. Totoki is also president, COO and CFO of Sony Group Corporation. The latest changes will take effect from June 1st.

“Sony Interactive Entertainment is a dynamic and growing business that delivers incredible entertainment experiences through the connection of content and technology," Totoki said. "These two leaders will have clear responsibilities and will manage strategic direction to ensure the focus remains on deepening engagement with existing PlayStation users and expanding experiences to new audiences."


The fact both new CEOs are established PlayStation veterans is in-keeping with Sony’s approach of promoting from within. However, the decision to have two leaders is not something the business has done before and reflects the growing size and scale of the division.


PlayStation’s Studios business has grown exponentially over the past ten years, both in terms of headcount and scale of its brands. Its recent strategy has seen it port more of its titles to PC, develop TV shows and movies based on its IP and push into live-service game development, which included the acquisition of Destiny developer Bungie in 2022.


However, costs have also grown significantly, resulting in recent game cancellations, staff redundancies and the closure of its London Studio. The release detailing the new leadership says that this structure is designed to deliver 'sustainable growth'.

 

[Punished Miku]

Horizon font for PS6 logo confirmed.

 

[rofif]

Anyone but hulst oh no

 

[FalsettoVibe]

 

[solidus12]

So who’s replacing Jim Ryan’s role as CEO of SIE?

Edit: never mind I read the article.

Let’s hope that they focus more on their core audience and console instead of pc and mobile going forward.

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

 

[FalsettoVibe]

So who’s replacing Jim Ryan’s role as CEO of SIE?

 

[NuclearDiarrhea]

Jim Ryan was such a legend that they need two people to fill his shoes. Incredible.

 

[DrFigs]

Hm... bold.

 

[Hugare]

Executives always fail upward

Incredible

 

[GHound]

Oh god damn it not Hemorrhoid Holster.

 

[ShaiKhulud1989]

Jim Ryan was such a legend that they need two people to fill his shoes. Incredible.

PS business is too big for one man to handle. Part of the reason why Ryan has left.

It sounds logical and both CEOs are from Sony, so it could’ve been way worse.

 

[Insane Metal]

Oh no god damn.

 

[SSfox]

Oh snap a PC fanboy as CEO that's scary, hopefully Noshino can balance things up, I don't know him but he's Japanese so he can be more trusted, at least more than Herman "PC fanboy" hulst

 

[Valedix]

Really wish Shuhei Yoshida would've given it a go, he seems to be the only one passionate about indie games and not live services.

 

[Pedro Motta]

Good luck to them, they’re gonna need it.

 

[adamsapple]

Hulst has had a rocket strapped to his ass, the way he's gone up the corporate ladder last few years.

 

[Draugoth]

It was bound to be a western

 

[Kenneth Haight]

 

[ZehDon]

Not sure I'd have picked Hulst myself. Guess we'll see what he's got.

 

[mitch1971]

 

[lh032]

great we are going to see more horizon ip.

 

[feynoob]

 

[envyzeal]

So now Aloy is famous for being the daughter of the CEO...it all makes sense

 

[ByWatterson]

Sorry, why don't we like the guy who pushed for Sony to risk a huge amount of money on a robot dinosaur culture-swap future war with aliens and shit?

Herman Hullluplethimcook!

 

[feynoob]

thicc_girls_are_teh_best

Your best friend is here to stay. Good luck with horizon as the main Mascot.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

4 head think better than 2

 

[Loomy]

This is good news. Especially for the studios side of things.

So who’s replacing Jim Ryan’s role as CEO of SIE?

They're co-CEOs. I mentioned this in a different thread, but you're seeing this trend more and more these days, especially in businesses where there's a creative component (James Gunn/Peter Safran over at DC, for example).


I also don't get the intense dislike for Hermen Hulst.

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

 

[Skifi28]

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Hulst has had a rocket strapped to his ass, the way he's gone up the corporate ladder last few years.

 

[Topher]

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

how I cringe to these fuckin gifs

 

[Humdinger]

Not too surprising about Hulst. The split role is interesting. I don't know anything about the Nishino fellow.

 

[rofif]

hulst made a game about robot dinosaurs boring and woke. There is no hope. He wouldn’t do stellar blade.
He will run the brand into the grave that is pc.

 

[Buggy Loop]

TWO CEOs? Hahaha

 

[freefornow]

Jim Ryan was such a legend that they need two people to fill his shoes. Incredible.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

I'm getting really annoyed with this attitude towards Hulst. you better calm down before I snap

 

[nial]

It was bound to be a western

Hideaki Nishino is my man.

Not too surprising about Hulst. The split role is interesting. I don't know anything about the Nishino fellow.

He's been the head of their software group for a while and hardware since 2022, after Masayasu Ito retired.

 

[feynoob]

 

[balls of snow]

Prepare for Horizon lunchboxes.

 

[DavJay]

That job can’t be fun. The turnover rate is ridiculous. I liked Shawn Layden

 

[Hrk69]

I don't care

Just make good games and stop fucking around trying to own the industry

 

[nial]

That job can’t be fun. The turnover rate is ridiculous. I liked Shawn Layden

I agree with the first part, but Shawn Layden was never CEO of SIE.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Pour one out for our boy Ass of Can Whooping

All that effort and didn't become CEO of Playstation. That election is rigged

 

[BennyBlanco]

Hulst is very close with my favorite my favorite Sony studio, Nixxes

 

[GHG]

Well it was fun while it lasted.

Playstation had a good run.

 

[Larivel]

What do we know about this Nishino guy?

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

STOPTHECOUNT

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

thicc_girls_are_teh_best

Your best friend is here to stay. Good luck with horizon as the main Mascot.

Don't worry, he's only there for managing the 1P internal studios and transmedia stuff.



So Hulst handles the internal 1P game development and transmedia stuff, Nishino handles platform management including hardware, tech R&D, and 3P relations.

I don't know a lot about Nishino, but given Hulst was the one pushing for shorter PC stagger windows, I'm fine with this set-up. I just hope SIE actually get back on track and start prioritizing their own console again going forward. That's the big one.

What do we know about this Nishino guy?

I've seen his name thrown around couple of times but don't remember much beyond that.

Having said such, I don't keep track of info on stuff like this. So he could have a lot of prestige within SIE and I'd be completely unaware of it.