Hermen Hulst No Longer PlayStation Co-CEO, Still in Charge of First-Party | Push Square
A dramatic shake up of the Sony hierarchy has seen PlayStation ditch its dual CEO approach less than a year after it was introduced.
Ex-Guerrilla Games managing director Hermen Hulst was appointed co-CEO alongside Platform Business Group bigwig Hideaki Nishino following the departure of Jim Ryan. The pair’s tenure officially started on 1st June, 2024.
But the run is over, as Nishino will now take sole CEO control of Sony Interactive Entertainment, the Sony business subsidiary which contains PlayStation.
“I am truly honored to take the helm at Sony Interactive Entertainment,” Nishino said in a press release. “Technology and creativity are two of our biggest strengths as we continue to focus on developing experiences that deliver entertainment for everyone. We will continue to grow the PlayStation community in new ways, such as [intellectual property] expansion, while also delivering the best in technology innovation.
“I want to thank Hermen for his expertise and leadership as he continues his role as CEO, Studio Business Group. I am deeply grateful for the PlayStation community and their continued support and I am very excited for what the future holds.”
As mentioned above, Hulst will continue to lead PlayStation’s first-party, so this reorganisation doesn’t change an enormous amount for the day-to-day running of the organisation.
It does suggest, however, that the dual CEO setup wasn’t working as effectively as Sony management would have liked.
Back in October, both Hulst and Nishino attempted to explain their roles to Variety.
“This is not co-CEOs; it’s two CEOs for the company,” Nishino confusingly explained. “Hermen runs his thing, I run my thing, and then we get together to talk about how to grow the business. Growing the business for success has a conflict as well: how we impact each other or how we want to sacrifice or not. It’s a balance. It’s an opportunity and a risk.”
That risk is now gone, however, as while Hulst and Nishino will continue to work closely,
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