PlayStation Reveals New CEOs Replacing Jim Ryan

Highlights

• Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino are the new CEOs at PlayStation, leading the Studio and Platform Business Groups.
• Both Hulst and Nishino will report directly to Hiroki Totoki, who serves as the Chair of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
• The transition follows Jim Ryan’s retirement in September 2023, with changes set to take effect on June 1, 2024.

On May 13, PlayStation announced that two new CEOs, Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino, would succeed former CEO Jim Ryan as the leaders of Sony’s Studio Business Group and Platform Business Group, respectively. Both new PlayStation executives will directly report to Hiroki Totoki, who continues to serve as the Chair of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) and the President, COO, and CFO of Sony Group Corporation.

After a lengthy career that began in 1994, Jim Ryan announced his retirement from Sony in September 2023, which took effect months later in March 2024. Ryan became head of SIE in 2019 and was partially responsible for the PS5’s launch and success. Ryan stated one of his reasons for his retirement was working in North America while living in Europe at the same time. Following Ryan’s retirement, Sony named Hiroki Totoki as the interim CEO in addition to his duties at Sony Group. Totoki also became chair of SIE in October 2023 as part of the transition process.

Nearly two months after Ryan left the company, PlayStation will have new leaders who also have a foothold within the company. Taking a dual-CEO approach, Sony announced that Hermen Hulst will be the new CEO of the Studio Business Group, and Hideaki Nishino will lead the Platform Business Group. These changes will take effect on Saturday, June 1, 2024. Formerly the studio head of Guerrilla Games, Hulst was partially responsible for the success of Horizon: Zero Dawn, a game praised for its environments and storytelling. Hulst left Guerilla Games in 2019 to become Senior Vice President and Head of PlayStation Studios, which includes PlayStation Productions. After the news was made public, Hulst posted on Twitter that he was excited to continue working with the studios in a new capacity.

Who Are PlayStation’s Two New CEOs?

• Hermen Hulst, CEO of the Studio Business Group, which includes all first-party studios and PlayStation Productions
• Hideaki Nishino, CEO of the Platform Business Group, which oversees PlayStation hardware development and third-party relations
• Both Hulst and Nishino will report to SIE Chair Hiroki Totoki.

As for Nishino, his time with Sony began in 2006. Nishino served as the Senior Vice President of Platform Experiences, which handles PlayStation console hardware and firmware updates, accessories, third-party relations, and the PlayStation Network. Nishino’s role as the CEO of the Platform Business Group will see his leadership duties expanded. Hulst and Nishino will report directly to Totoki, who will continue to serve as SIE’s chair after the changes take hold in the coming weeks.

The news of Hulst and Nishino taking over as CEOs comes at a busy time for the PlayStation brand, as the company prepares to release Ghost of Tsushima on PC on May 16. It remains to be seen how PlayStation’s future will shape up under the leadership of Hulst and Nishino.