Last week, new PlayStation co-CEOs Hideaki Nishino and Hermen Hulst offered some of their first remarks since taking their respective positions, discussing live service games, the state of the games industry, Bungie, and more. But why have two CEOs in the first place?
The pair talked a little bit about that decision in a new message published to Sony’s website, where they explained some of the reasoning behind the new structure. Among other things, they noted that it’s “never been more important for the leadership at [Sony Interactive Entertainment] to step back, review our business holistically, and move forward with a new structure designed to bring out the best in the organization and deliver increasingly incredible experiences.”
They continued in their letter to PlayStation employees, “While having two CEOs is a new structure for SIE, we know this will foster greater creativity and innovation as we look for new ways to grow the business, always keeping our community at the forefront. Two distinct Business Groups will enable us to have more rigor and clarity across our lines of business as SIE continues to grow and evolve.”
Hulst and Nishino, who formally stepped into their new roles on June 1, are dividing up the PlayStation business between them. Specifically, Hulst will lead the newly created PlayStation Studios business group, which will focus on develoment, publishing, and business operations for SIE’s first-party content. Nishino, meanwhile, will spearhead’s PlayStation’s hardware and tech.
The pair is taking over for former CEO Jim Ryan, who announced his retirement last spring. They inherit a business that they claim is enjoying its most profitable console generation to date, but nevertheless faces plenty of questions as the PlayStation 5 winds down.
Last week we saw a little bit of the path ahead with Sony’s State of Play, which featured Astro Bot, Concord, and other games. Bungie is also preparing to release The Final Shape, which will wrap up Destiny 2’s Light and Darkness Saga.
We’ll know more about what 2024 holds for games when Summer Game Fest kicks off on Friday alongside IGN Live and more. Stay tuned to IGN for coverage on the biggest releases as well as the rest of 2024’s biggest games.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
