Hermen Hulst heads the PlayStation studio business, while Hideaki Nishino is responsible for the platform side.

Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino will jointly succeed Jim Ryan as CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. Hulst is the CEO of the newly named Studio Business Group. The latter includes all of PlayStation’s first-party teams. As well as the development of IP for other mediums such as television and film. Hulst was previously the head of PlayStation Studios. Before that, he co-founded Horizon and Killzone developer Guerrilla Games, which was acquired by Sony in 2005.

“I am thrilled to lead the studio business group and continue to build on our success with PlayStation 5 while preparing for the future,” Hulst said in a statement.

“The video game industry is one of the largest entertainment industries in the world and has been built on the marriage of content and technology, and I look forward to continuing to push the boundaries of play and entertainment.”

Hideaki Nishino will lead the Platform Business Group. This includes console hardware, technology, accessories, PlayStation Network and third-party relationships (including major publishers and indie studios). He was already the SVP of Platform Experiences. He has been a member of the Sony business since 2006 and has held various positions at Sony Network Entertainment, Sony Corporation and SIE.

“We will continue to connect players and creators through world-class products, services, and technology,” said Nishino.

“We always strive to grow our community even bigger with innovation in every area at Sony Interactive Entertainment.”

“I am honored to be appointed to such an important role alongside Hermen. By working more closely together, we will be positioned to build incredible experiences for an ever-expanding audience now and in the future.”

How does the new PlayStation management structure work?

Both executives will report to Sony Interactive Entertainment President Hiroki Totoki. He has been acting CEO of the division since the resignation of Jim Ryan at the end of March. Totoki is also the Chairman, COO and Chief Financial Officer of Sony Group Corporation. The latest changes will take effect on June 1.

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

The fact that both new CEOs are established PlayStation veterans is consistent with Sony’s approach of promoting from within the company.

However, the decision regarding the two leaders was not typical before. This reflects the division’s growing size and scale.

The PlayStation Studios business has grown exponentially over the past ten years, both in terms of headcount and brand size. In its recent strategy, it has ported several of its titles to PC. It developed TV shows and movies based on its IP and moved into live-as-a-service game development, which included the 2022 acquisition of Destiny developer Bungie.

At the same time, costs have also increased significantly. All of this has recently led to game cancellations, staff layoffs and the closure of the London studio. According to the announcement detailing the new management, this structure is designed to ensure “sustainable growth”.

Source: Variety