Andrew House, the President and Global CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, is leaving his post and will exit Sony completely by the end of the year. This information comes from a press release on the Sony website .
Sony’s press release confirms John (Tsuyoshi) Kodera, the former Deputy President of SIE, will assume the role of President and CEO. House will transition to a position as Chairman until the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition.
"I'm tremendously proud of what we've built with PlayStation and Sony Interactive Entertainment: entertaining millions globally with the best in games and creating a fully fledged digital entertainment company. PlayStation has been a huge part of my life for more than 20 years but with the business having achieved record-breaking success, now seemed to be the right time for me to pursue new challenges,” said House in the press release . “I shall always treasure the friendships and people that have made SIE such a wonderful place to work. I'm also grateful to PlayStation fans and gamers around the world for their loyalty and support. John and the team at SIE are world-class and I know the future of PlayStation is very bright."
"It's a great honor to take on the role of President and CEO, SIE, and I'm very grateful to Kaz [Kazuo Hirai, President and CEO of Sony Corporation] and Andy for the trust and faith they have shown in me. I intend to build on the amazing progress Andy has made enhancing the PlayStation brand and expanding the game and network services business, and will strive to further strengthen the unique value proposition we are able to offer via the PlayStation platform,” Kodera said in the statement. “I look forward to working together with the SIE team, and everyone across the Sony Group, to continue to strengthen relations with our business partners, and provide the best possible interactive entertainment experiences, that only PlayStation can deliver."
What does this mean for PlayStation gamers? Realistically, there won’t be much of an impact. House has been running SIE since 2011, and will help Kodera take the reins once he is gone. Kodera is already familiar with how SIE operates, having played an integral role in the launch of the PlayStation Store, PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now. Kodera has also been working closely with House since 2016, when he was appointed the Deputy President of SIE.
House hasn’t yet revealed what he plans to do next. Seeing as how House has worked at Sony for 27 years now, it’s probably time for him to take a well-earned break.
So what do you think? Are you concerned over the transition of power from House to Kodera? Do you think Kodera will be the right man for the job? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
