What does Jim Ryan’s retirement mean for Sony and PlayStation?

The hierarchy of power at Sony Interactive Entertainment is about to change and no, it’s not because Black Adam is around, but instead because longtime chief Jim Ryan has decided to retire.

After 30 years at the company, Ryan’s time at Sony is coming to an end. While you might not be all that familiar with his name, plenty of massive Sony milestones were at the hands of this businessman. Given the impact Ryan has had on Sony and PlayStation, you may be wondering what his departure means for its future.

What does Jim Ryan’s retirement mean for Sony and PlayStation?

Ultimately Ryan’s departure from Sony Interactive shouldn’t have any major impacts on the company, at least in the short term. Upon announcing he will be taking over for Ryan in an interim term, Hiroki Totoki announced the goals for the company remain the same.

In a statement, Totoki says he’ll be working with the company to ensure continued success and further growth when he takes over as interim CEO in April 2024.

Of course, this doesn’t give away much, but it doesn’t suggest we won’t be seeing any drastic changes as a result of the departure.

We’ll have to wait and see who takes over as CEO on a more permanent basis in 2024 before it’s clear if any big changes are headed for the company, but for now, PlayStation fans can relax.

The biggest moments of Jim Ryan’s career

Becoming the CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment

It shouldn’t be any surprise but one of the key moments, and most impressive achievements of Ryan’s career was when he became the CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2019. 

After 24 years with the company, Ryan climbed the ranks starting as an International Financial Officer through to become the Global Head of Sales and Marketing, and eventually the big boss at PlayStation. In this position, he made plenty of huge moves for Sony.

Bungie and other studio acquisitions

Thanks to Microsoft’s recent acquisition of Activision it’s common knowledge how big a deal studio acquisitions can be, and during his time as boss, Jim Ryan led the charge on some big ones.

Two of these are the acquisitions of Destiny creators Bungie and Returnal makers Housemarque. These are just two of the bigger additions to Sony’s growing studio catalog, but at the time they were massive wins for PlayStation.

Creating PlayStation Productions

During the start of his tenure as the CEO of PlayStation, Ryan was involved with the founding of PlayStation Productions. This company has grown to be a massive success involved in creating hit films such as Uncharted, Gran Turismo, and shows like The Last of Us, and Twisted Metal.

Launching the PlayStation 5

Probably the biggest success during Ryan’s reign at Sony Interactive Entertainment was the launch of the PlayStation 5. It’s no secret this console cycle was plagued with issues be it from a production shortage side, or the COVID pandemic, however, Sony persevered and managed to dominate the sales market.

The PS5 is on track to be the biggest console in Sony’s history, according to the company, and if you’re like me and tried to get one of these devices on launch, it really shouldn’t be any surprise.

Bringing PlayStation favorites to PC

While some PlayStation gamers weren’t all that happy about this, it’s still a big milestone for PlayStation. Some of the biggest games to make the jump are God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn.

From all accounts, launching these titles on PC has been a huge success and is something that Sony will continue to do even after Ryan is gone.