PlayStation boss Jim Ryan is not a pantomime villain, but that’s what he’s been portrayed to be. The executive – guilty of toeing the company line on cross-play, for example – has long been the butt of enthusiast gamers’ jokes. His biggest slip-up? An off-the-cuff remark about the original PSone Gran Turismo playable next to the PlayStation 4’s Gran Turismo Sport. “Why would anyone want to play this?” he infamously said of the 1998 release.
It’s a rhetorical question that will be repeated ad nauseam until the end of time, even if the context has long been lost. For many, this was Ryan speaking out against PlayStation’s heritage; an early indication, perhaps, that its future consoles will not be backwards compatible. But the PlayStation 5 is backwards compatible, and it’s shaping up to be every inch the worthy successor to the organisation’s current-gen console. In fact, against a chorus of criticism, the English suit appears to be getting everything right.
Changes would have been afoot before he took the top job, of course, but Jim is currently overseeing a global restructure which has seen Shawn Layden leave and Guerrilla Games’ extremely likeable managing director Hermen Hulst promoted. He’s also opened up the floodgates to cross-play – think of the children! – and dramatically improved PlayStation Now’s overall value offering. It’s not a bad start to the beginning of his tenure, but you get the distinct impression from interviews that there’s much more to come.
And this has been the key difference in recent weeks: Ryan clearly has his finger on the pulse, and is much more willing to talk than any of his predecessors. A critical editorial published by GamesIndustry.biz earlier in the year prompted a response from the head honcho, where he went some ways to explaining what’s actually going on with Sony’s restructuring. It was candid, informative, and honest – a refreshing read.
Jim does not mince his words, which is perhaps a personality trait that has got him into trouble in the past. But it’s clear from the way he talks that he’s willing to say things straight; he admitted, for example, that PlayStation’s former strategy of operating independently in each major region was unwieldy – and gave clear demonstrations of how it’s streamlining its operations. He also confirmed what we’ve all been thinking: that PlayStation’s exclusives are far too valuable to giveaway with subscription services like Xbox Game Pass.
But the best thing about this latest round of Ryan interviews is that he recognises the nimble nature of the industry he’s in. Jim never rules out any changes in his latest interview; in fact, he seems to openly embrace them. For a company that’s been guilty of being stuck in its ways in the past, you get the impression that PlayStation’s new chief knows the company can never sit still. That’s the exact opposite of the hubris that has plagued the platform holder in the past – and proof that the firm’s in safe hands.
Are you happy with how Jim Ryan’s shaping up as PlayStation’s new boss? What do you think the executive needs to focus on as he settles into the top job? Criticise PSone-era visuals in the comments section below.
Comments 33
He just has a punchable face. And looks very corporate. With that said he is doing a bang up job imo
@Nyne11Tyme What makes for a punchable face? Odd remark.
@doctommaso its not easily put into words. He just looks smug, always seems to have like a slight grimace or certain level of irritation on his face Lol.
Cool. Is this the new Hitman game?
I would take gran turismo 98 and it's campaign mode over sports none existent campaign mode. Its not all about the looks one of my ex missus was way fit, but she had about as much single player depth as gran turismo sport. Suffice she's now married to a bin man and works part time as a dinner lady.
We want something big and meaty. OK maybe not 25 stone big but you know what I mean.
@doctommaso: It's a thing. Some people just have punchable faces. e.g. Steve Smith (Aussie cricketer) has the most punchable face ever to grace the planet.
I like him, says what he wants and doesn't care what others think. As for punchable face, I reckon he would knock most of yall out lol Jim don't play around.
@YozenFroghurt My thoughts exactly.
I will wait give an opinion on his manager skills until a few years into the PS5's life. He's doing a decent job so far though.
@themcnoisy what's wrong with being a bin man or a dinner lady? The world would be a disgusting and deadly place without the former, that's for sure. Perhaps your ex didn't have much depth but at least she wasn't an elitist snob eh.
As for this discussion I'm with @YozenFroghurt I just want to play the games. The rest doesn't matter.
Guy just needs to keep his ego in check, it's not complicated just give the PlayStation fans what they want and lastly set trends don't follow them.
If PS5 has as many top quality games at the same pace as PS4 - And I do not need to port-beg or wait around for a game I want to play.
He will be doing a great job - Anything else they do is window dressing.
@Nyne11Tyme He kinda does 😆
@VonPit As a Scotsman, watching the Ashes was split 50/50 between wanting to punch Steve Smith’s face and wanting to wine and dine him. How come the heroes always look punchable, eh
Sorry but I agree with his PS1 Grand Turismo statement. Its not a dig against Grand Turismo it's a testament to the mega hit games on PS4.
He'a responsible for ps3 success in europe while ps3 lose out to xbox 360 in usa at the start of the previous gen, he's the man to lead ps5 to success next gen
@doctommaso
"punchable face -
The shape of a persons face that tempts people to punch them without good, justifiable reason"
Then goes on to mention Nicholas Cage has a punchable face in every movie he's in. I agree
It's like saying "who wants to watch this absolute classic film from the 1960s" it's still just as good, just the graphics are worse
Sorry, but you cannot choose such a person to lead a company...
No amount of sugarcoating will change that...
Look at the lineage he's succeeding...
This might be like the Vita of the PS lineup...
Good at what it does, but no one cares...
I can't wait for Michael Denny (or someone else) to take over from him...
Who cares how he is. I think the most important things are caring for the gamers and the brand aka the games.
@Eldritch Yeah nothing wrong with being a bin man or dinner lady. Probably a bad analogy to make although it is true.
Are people really wanting to play psone GT anyway?
Totally agree with the article. J Ryan straight away brought more transparency and competitive spirit to PlayStation.
Also after all those years nobody questioned why SLayden and Shu had similar post?
I think PlayStation is going in the right direction.
@Nyne11Tyme
A "punchable face' ... I dont understand that expression. Sounds incredibly intolerant and often typically used by virtue signalling people. Not a critic on you personally but my feeling about the term.
He's right about the original GT and I feel the same about All PSOne games. Why would anyone want to play them when a game like Death Stranding pushes gaming forward and delivers 4D?
@JJ2 easy buddy. It called messing around...taking the piss...whatever. I was just bustin chops. Dont get all triggered on me. And id have to ask what side of the pond you are on. That would probably make a difference for sure. I mean that genuinely. I know things are interpreted way different from other parts of the world.
@Nyne11Tyme
Yea I'm both British and French living in the UK so definitely get lost in translation sometimes haha
Still dont like the expression though. Like I said, that wasnt about you at all
@JJ2 well i mean no offense. Just a little brash humor. Cheers! Sunday Funday!
@get2sammyb excellently written peace and bang on the pulse yourself. It's refreshing to finally see Sony not being bullish and downright idiotic at the end of a highly successful generation, like they were at the end of the PS2, or Microsoft were at the end of the Xbox 360. The console game is often a tight race and can swing heavily on decisions that both platform holders have been silly with in the past (and Nintendo for that matter). Hopefully it will continue and they come out strong next generation, and ideally Microsoft does too, because competition is necessary to push things forward and two successful consoles ensure the greatest rewards for gamers. I must admit I'm more excited going into the next generation than any before to see how it plays out; with console graphical gains becoming less and less, innovation is becoming more and more important.
I seem to recall that he was talking about the graphics; nothing to do with quality or even nostalgia.
@themcnoisy I thought that comment was hilarious. I think people are over-thinking it. There’s really nothing wrong with it.
@Jaz007 thanks Jaz. Appreciate the support bro.
In fairness, a lot of PS1 games in general haven't aged too well. The same can be said for most N64 games as well.
That gen was an interesting transitional time for gaming, to be sure, but I feel nostalgia goggles do blind people to the flaws of the gen overall.
That said, there were some real gems on both consoles, and if people want to play whatever I'm all for letting them do it.
I think a lot of the "issues" with Ryan's comments though were that he'd be put on the spot and asked questions about decisions whose motivation he wasn't privy to, and so he tried to come up with a PR response on the fly. Now that he DOES have that info, he seems to be handling himself much, much better in interviews.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...