Earlier this year, Activision Blizzard saw a number of leadership changes, with the company's CFO, Spencer Neumann, moving to Netflix and Amrita Ahuja, Blizzard's CFO, accepting a position at Square Inc. Now, it seems that Sony will follow suit with a managerial shakeup, as SIE Deputy President Jim Ryan has been appointed as the new president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment.

As detailed in a recent press release, Ryan's new appointment will be effective beginning April 1, and he will be simultaneously stepping into the role of representative director and president of the company's Japan-based legal entity. "It's a huge honor to be asked to take on the role of President and CEO of SIE," Ryan stated before emphasizing his commitment to "continuing to provide the ultimate interactive entertainment experiences"

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Since Ryan joined Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe in 1994, he has held several senior positions at the company, culminating with his appointment as SIE deputy president in January 2018. With this long history at Sony in his past, Ryan indicates that he hopes to use his previous experience in "evolving the entertainment that PlayStation offers" through his new role.

Additionally, Ryan's managerial transition means that current SIE President and CEO John Kodera, who took the position following the departure of Andrew House, will now act as Deputy President. "I am confident that he will lead us to greater success as CEO of SIE," Kodera says of Ryan's ability to succeed in his new role.

As president and CEO of SIE, Ryan will report directly to Sony Corporation President Kenichiro Yoshida, who has commented on the decision to restructure:

I believe that this new structure, where Jim will manage SIE's overall organization and operations, and which will allow John to focus on the key mission to further develop PlayStation Network that has now grown into an immensely large platform with over 90 million Monthly Active Users worldwide --- will enable SIE to accelerate its innovation and evolution even further.

Indeed the company's current emphasis on PlayStation Network appears to be a key factor in Ryan and Kodera's new appointments. While some fans may be wary of Ryan, after he delivered a somewhat dismissive response about backwards compatibility, it certainly seems that Sony has a specific idea on how these two men can best serve the company.

Source: Sony