Xbox boss Phil Spencer has paid tribute to outgoing PlayStation boss Jim Ryan, who announced his retirement overnight.
Jim Ryan, who's been president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) since 2019, retires in March 2024. Hiroki Totoki will assume the interim CEO role starting on April 1, 2024.
The Sony Group Corporation president, COO, and CFO will also become chairman of SIE starting next month to "support Ryan in his transition", Sony said.
Totoki will "work closely" with Sony Group Corporation Chairman and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida to navigate PlayStation's future, "including the succession of the SIE CEO role."
In a statement, Ryan cited the difficulty of living in Europe while working in North America as a reason for the decision.
“After 30 years, I have made the decision to retire from SIE in March 2024," Ryan said in the statement. "I’ve relished the opportunity to have a job I love in a very special company, working with great people and incredible partners. But I’ve found it increasingly difficult to reconcile living in Europe and working in North America.
“I will leave having been privileged to work on products that have touched millions of lives across the world; PlayStation will always be part of my life, and I feel more optimistic than ever about the future of SIE. I want to thank Yoshida-san for placing so much trust in me and being an incredibly sensitive and supportive leader.”
Spencer tweeted to call Ryan “a great contributor to our industry and a fierce leader for PlayStation” He continued: “I wish him the best in what he does next. Thank you for all you’ve done for the community over the last 30 years, Jim.”
Jim Ryan has been a great contributor to our industry and a fierce leader for PlayStation. I wish him the best in what he does next. Thank you for all you’ve done for the community over the last 30 years, Jim.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) September 28, 2023
Spencer and Ryan have butted heads in recent years over Microsoft’s $69 billion buyout of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard, with the PlayStation chief vocal in his criticism of the proposed acquisition.
In June, as part of the FTC Xbox trial, Ryan called Game Pass "value destructive", admitted that Starfield's exclusivity is not anti-competitive, and said an email from Phil Spencer last August "set the alarm bells ringing" at Sony.
During a trip to Brussels to meet EU regulators in person, Ryan reportedly said: “I don’t want a new Call of Duty deal. I just want to block your merger.” Sony and Microsoft have since signed a binding 10-year agreement to keep Activision’s shooter series on PlayStation following the conclusion of the deal.
Under Ryan’s tenure, Sony released the PlayStation 5, which has continued to outsell rival console Xbox Series X and S in the three years since launch. During its court battle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Microsoft claimed Xbox had officially "lost the console wars".
In a document Microsoft described its entry into the gaming industry in 2001, when its original Xbox console was outsold by both Sony and Nintendo by a "significant margin". And, per Xbox, it hasn't stopped "losing" the "console wars" ever since.
"Xbox’s console has consistently ranked third (of three) behind PlayStation and Nintendo in sales. In 2021, Xbox had a share of 16% while Nintendo and PlayStation had shares of [redacted] and [redacted], respectively. Likewise for console revenues and share of consoles currently in use by gamers ('installed base'), Xbox trails with 21% while PlayStation and Nintendo have shares of [redacted] and [redacted], respectively."
Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.