Sony appoints two new PlayStation CEOs to replace Jim Ryan

Sony Interactive Entertainment has named Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino as CEOs of the company's Studio and Platform Business Groups, respectively.

The details:

• Interim CEO Hiroki Totoki announced that he will take on the role of Chairman at SIE in addition to his current position as President, COO, and CFO of Sony Group Corporation. Both Nishino and Hulst will report directly to Totoki after stepping into their roles on June 1, and the three are expected to work closely together in the future.

• Hurst, who previously served as the head of PlayStation Studios and Guerrilla, will now oversee all first-party PlayStation games and multimedia projects, including TV and film adaptations of its franchises. "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 (via GamesIndustry.biz). “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.”

• Nishino, who was previously the SVP of Platform Experiences, will continue to oversee technology such as console hardware, PlayStation Network, and accessories, as well as third-party developer relationships. "We will continue to connect players and creators through world-class products, services, and technology," Nishino said in a statement. "I am honoured to be appointed 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."

• SIE’s previous CEO, Jim Ryan, retired in March after nearly 30 years with the company to spend more time with his family in Europe. Prior to Ryan's retirement in February, Totoki stated that SIE should be "aggressive" in terms of boosting profits, which was followed by significant layoffs that same month.

More gaming news:

• Square Enix intends to lay off an unspecified number of employees over the next month, affecting employees in Europe and the US.

• Microsoft plans to launch its mobile game store in July, initially offering its own games before expanding to third-party releases.