PlayStation gets two CEOs with Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino in Sony leadership shake-up

Both SIE CEOs will report directly to Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki

Sony Interactive Entertainment

Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino are replacing Jim Ryan as joint CEOs of Sony Interactive Entertainment. Hulst will lead SIE's Studio Business Group, while Nishino will lead SIE’s Platform Business Group. Both executives will report to Sony's Senior Executive Vice President and CFO Hiroki Totoki.

The change in leadership comes six months after former SIE CEO Jim Ryan announced his decision to retire from the company. Totoki oversaw the PlayStation business as interim CEO before giving the keys to SIE to Hulst and Nishino. Hulst will be responsible for PlayStation game development and publishing arm, while Nishino will oversee hardware, platform and services development.

Sony has sold nearly 60 million PS5 units worldwide. / Sony

“Sony Interactive Entertainment is a dynamic and growing business that delivers incredible entertainment experiences through the connection of content and technology," said Totoki. "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."

"Later this month you will learn more about the long-term vision for Sony Group and the essential role SIE plays in that vision," added Totoki in an SIE blog post. There have been rumors of a PlayStation showcase broadcasting later this month, which Totoki's comment seems to hint at. Totoki also wrote about Sony's new mid-term plan that aims to shake up its business model for "sustainable growth."

In its latest quarterly earnings report, Sony revealed it sold 20.8 million PS5 units in FY23, putting the PS5's global install base at a healthy 59.2 million. The company also revealed sales figures for its first-party games, which saw Helldivers 2 leading the pack with 12 million units sold.