Tag: Jim Ryan
News Jim Ryan Leaves PlayStation as PS5 Set to Become Its 'Most Successful Console Ever'
"Right now, we're at the top of our game"
Today marks the end of Jim Ryan's 30-year tenure at Sony Interactive Entertainment. Having climbed the ladder of the company all the way to the top, his five-year stint as CEO has now drawn to a close, with Hiroki Totoki temporarily taking over until a permanent replacement is found. Speaking on the latest...
News Outgoing PlayStation Exec Says Sony Must Continue to Entertain, Surprise, and Delight
"We're an entertainment business"
Jim Ryan is hanging up his DualSense and leaving PlayStation after a wildly successful 30-year career next month. While his misunderstood, deeply dry sense of humour has landed him in hot water with enthusiasts on numerous occasions, no one could criticise his achievements at the company, which has seen Sony become...
News Jim Ryan Retires as PlayStation Boss in March 2024
Hiroki Totoki assumes Interim CEO position
Sony has announced PlayStation boss Jim Ryan will be retiring from his role in March 2024. To help with the transition, Hiroki Totoki will assume the position of Chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment from next month. "Mr. Totoki will work closely with Sony Group Corporation Chairman and CEO Kenichiro...
News Jim Ryan Praises PlayStation Home for Being '10-15 Years Ahead of Its Time'
Other "game-type metaverse" projects in the works
PlayStation boss Jim Ryan has shared praise for Sony's PS3 project PlayStation Home in newly revealed documents part of the court case concerning Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. While talk surrounding the Metaverse has somewhat died down as of late, Ryan believes PlayStation Home was...
News Sony's Partnership with Square Enix Has Never Been Stronger, Says Jim Ryan
He values "everything we do together"
PlayStation bigwig Jim Ryan made a surprise appearance during Final Fantasy 16’s pre-launch livestream overnight, where he said that his company’s relationship with publisher Square Enix has “never been stronger”. In the brief speech, he mentioned that Sony’s collaboration with the company “goes back...
News Sony Says It's Too Early to Judge PSVR2's Popularity
"We will continue to push forward"
There’s no doubt PSVR2 is an excellent piece of hardware, and it’s already host to some outstanding games, as evidenced by our list of Best PSVR2 Games. But a laser-targeted launch, aimed specifically at enthusiasts, and speculation that the headset
News Jim Ryan: Japanese Market Still Very Important to Sony
It's the "birthplace" of PlayStation
PlayStation boss Jim Ryan has reinforced Sony's commitment to the Japanese gaming market in a new interview with Famitsu, where he states it continues to be an important region for the company. Ryan explains (via Google Translate): "The Japanese market has been and will continue to be one of the most important...
News Sony Has Been Working on PS5's Accessibility Controller for Years
Split layout was a breakthrough
Sony has been a pioneer of video game accessibility, winning numerous awards for its efforts in first-party games like The Last of Us: Part 2, Horizon Forbidden West, and God of War Ragnarok. It’s become a trademark of PS Studios, and with each release the organisation’s efforts are getting more ambitious. The...
News PlayStation's Jim Ryan Named Among 500 Most Influential Global Media Business Leaders
PS Studios boss Hermen Hulst also honoured
Jim Ryan, the CEO of PlayStation, has been named by Variety as one of the top 500 “most influential business leaders shaping the global media industry”. The British born executive – who also featured in the 2020 and 2021 incarnations of the same list – is credited for completing the acquisition of...
News PlayStation Staff Angry About Jim Ryan Email on Abortion Rights
Executive urges respect for differences of opinion
According to Bloomberg, a number of PlayStation staff are “seething” about an email sent by CEO Jim Ryan today, in which he urged employees to “respect the differences of opinion” when it comes to abortion rights. A recent leak from the US Supreme Court put the issue into sharp focus, after...
News Watch PlayStation's CES 2022 Presentation in Full
Sony back on stage
Well, this is certainly a sign of the times, isn’t it? Here’s PlayStation boss Jim Ryan, on stage during a press conference at CES 2022 – and it feels, well, weird. It’s been so long since Sony had a proper keynote due to coronavirus and internal strategy alterations that we’d forgotten what it’s like. Ryan’s still...
News Sony: PSVR2 Will Offer 'Best in Class' Visuals
Jim Ryan promises a true next-gen experience
We’ve heard a lot about PSVR2’s unique sensory features, like its on-board rumble motor and new PSVR2 Sense controllers, but it’s also worth remembering that Sony will be pushing the visual fidelity here. Working in tandem with the PlayStation 5, the platform holder has a lot more horsepower to play...
News PlayStation's Jim Ryan Admonishes Activision in Internal Email to Employees
Amid ongoing allegations against juggernaut publisher
PlayStation boss Jim Ryan has reportedly criticised Activision in an internal email to employees, according to Bloomberg. The correspondence, read by journalist Jason Schreier, calls out the Call of Duty publisher for its inadequate response to allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment,
News Sony: The Pipeline of Games for PS5 Is Just Fantastic
"By far the strongest we've ever had"
Speaking as part of a candid interview with GamesIndustry.biz, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan said that the business is defined by three key attributes: games, community, and the brand. According to the bigwig, Sony’s gaming division has always been “cool”, and when prompted to describe what makes the...
News PlayStation Boss Wants a Future Where Sony Games Aren't Gated from a Wider Audience
"To gate the audience frustrates me"
While we’re all very familiar with the console market as it is, we can comfortably assume that one day it will change. Brands like PlayStation and Xbox are, slowly but surely, becoming hardware agnostic – we’ve already seen a handful of first-party Sony exclusives release on PC, and the manufacturer has...
News Jim Ryan to Discuss PlayStation's Past and Gaming's Future in Fireside Chat
This should be fun
PlayStation’s divisive bigwig Jim Ryan will participate in a pre-recorded fireside chat with GamesIndustry.biz as part of an event running adjacent to EGX in London next month. The group president will “discuss his history with PlayStation, his views on the brand, and what the future might hold for the games business”...
News Jim Ryan Says Players Only Remember the Best Games
"No one really cares about a game that is only okay"
We're probably a little biased, given we're a PlayStation-focused site, but it's hard to argue against Sony having some of the most talented game development teams in the business. The likes of Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, Santa Monica Studio, and more have been producing big hits for the...
News Sony: We Support and Encourage Crossplay Across Consoles
"The number of crossplay games will continue to grow"
The sheer number of games that support crossplay across PlayStation 5, PS4, and various other platforms has been rapidly increasing – despite Sony being one of the last to break down its walls to other consoles. To be fair, the Japanese giant was an early advocate of crossplay with PC in the...
News Sony: Nurturing Creative Talent Is Not as Simple as Throwing Money At It
Boss Jim Ryan can't wait to see what the future holds
PlayStation boss Jim Ryan has been talking a little more about Sony’s approach to the new console generation, and what it’s doing differently with the PlayStation 5 when compared with the PS4. Speaking with Axios, he pointed to the quality of the format’s first-party lineup, which has seen...
News Actually, PlayStation Boss Jim Ryan Doesn't Hate Old Games
"Next time I'll keep my mouth shut"
“Why would anyone play this?” It’s a quote that will cling to Jim Ryan for his entire career – and now he’s actually addressed it. For those in desperate need of context, the PlayStation boss famously told Time about the occasion he attended a Gran Turismo event: “The PS1 and the PS2 games, they looked...
News PS5 Stock Will Increase As Each Month Passes, Sony Hopes Situation Will Improve Quickly
Company apologises again for shortages
It’d be unfair to say that Sony was caught flat-footed by the PlayStation 5’s demand, but it’s still been unable to keep up with unprecedented interest in its next-gen console. With the world ravaged by a global pandemic, and increased emphasis on “at home” entertainment, the platform holder has been...
News PlayStation Boss Jim Ryan Reflects on PS5's Record Breaking Release
Biggest console launch of all-time
PlayStation boss Jim Ryan didn’t have much to say during his short speech at CES 2021 this week, but nevertheless, we’ve embedded his segment above for you. As previously reported, he teased more upcoming film and television projects based on first-party properties, and also reiterated that
News Here's a Video of PlayStation Boss Jim Ryan Speaking Japanese
He only does everything
PlayStation boss Jim Ryan is British, but he’s spent more than two decades rising through the ranks at a Japanese company, and that means he’s picked up a bit of the lingo along the way. In this video from the recent PlayStation Partner Awards, the executive addresses the audience in Japanese – from the safety of what...
News PlayStation Boss Reiterates Importance of Japan As Core Fans Get Antsy
"Incredibly important to us"
The departure of Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama from Sony Japan Studio this week served as confirmation for some core fans: PlayStation is side-lining Japan, and it no longer sees the region as important to its efforts. That was the subject of a
News Sony: We Don't Like Console Wars, Competition Makes Us Work Harder
"It avoids us getting complacent"
Sony boss Jim Ryan has weighed in on the latest “console war” between the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X, stating that he doesn’t like the term and that “it’s great there’s competition”. Speaking with Russian outlet TASS, the executive explained that strong products from the Japanese giant’s...
News Sony on PS5's Response to Game Pass: There Is News to Come, But Not Today
Jim Ryan teases new initiatives
Speaking with Russian media outlet TASS, PlayStation bigwig Jim Ryan was asked about Sony’s response to Xbox’s popular Game Pass subscription service. He replied, intriguingly: “There is actually news to come, but just not today.” The executive then went on to talk about PlayStation Now, which is the Japanese...
News Sony Thinks PS5's Storage Space 'Should Be Fine'
Company seemingly has data to back that up
The biggest criticism of Sony’s next-gen system in our PS5 review was its limited storage space, with little over 665GB available at launch. The platform holder has enabled the use of external hard drives for PlayStation 4 games, and it’s also said it’s looking into ways users can offload next-gen...
News PlayStation Boss Can't Comment on God of War Ragnarok Being a PS5 Exclusive
Hmmm
Will God of War Ragnarok be exclusive to PS5? Or will it be a cross-gen title, like Horizon Forbidden West? The simple answer is that, right now, we don't know. And apparently, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan doesn't want to talk about it. In an interview with The Telegraph — which covers Sony's next-gen console in general — Ryan is asked...
News PlayStation Boss Jim Ryan Thanks Fans As PS5 Launches
"We created PS5 for you"
Sony bigwig Jim Ryan had one message for fans as the PlayStation 5 launched in the United States today: thank you. Presumably that has little to do with the bumper bonuses he’s about to pocket once the console inevitably breaks sales records, and more to do with the fact that he appreciates every single one of you...
News Sony Will Grow First-Party Organically, Could Bolster Portfolio with Acquisitions
Jim Ryan pocketing his cheque book for now
Microsoft’s spending spree in recent years has somewhat changed the status quo in the first-party forum wars. Sony is still very much home to an elite roster of teams with an unmatched production pipeline, but in terms of scale, Xbox’s acquisition of Bethesda means that PlayStation Studios is now...
News Sony Admits Not Everyone Will Be Able to Get PS5 At Launch
PS5 pre-orders took 12 hours to match 12 weeks of PS4
If you were still hoping to secure a PlayStation 5 ahead of the console’s launch on 12th November, you may want to lower your expectations: Sony’s admitted that not everyone in the market for the next-gen machine will be able to get their mitts on one from the off. “The demand as expressed...
News Sony Considered Xbox Series S-Style PS5, Doesn't Think Lower Spec Models Have Had Success
PlayStation weighs in on disruptive Microsoft strategy
Sony considered creating a lower specification, cheaper PlayStation 5 – but ultimately decided against it because the company recognised that “low-priced, reduced spec” consoles have “not had great results in the past”. The Xbox Series S represents the first time a manufacturer has...
News PS5 Price: Sony Emphasising Value for Next-Gen Format
How low can you go?
Sony’s yet to announce the price of the PlayStation 5, but boss Jim Ryan appears to be preparing fans for a costly console. Speaking with the BBC, the executive wouldn’t be drawn on specifics, but hinted that it’s emphasising “value as opposed to price”. He said: “We must be more attentive than ever before to ensure...
News We're Just Getting Started with PS5 Software, Says Sony
Bringing the big guns
Reel off the titles that Sony announced for the PlayStation 5 during its reveal event overnight, and it makes for startling reading: Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Gran Turismo 7, Demon’s Souls, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – and these are just the highlights. The crazy thing is that, as PlayStation boss Jim Ryan...
News PS5 Digital Edition Exists for Consumers Who 'Purchase Solely Digitally'
Jim Ryan on PS5's hardware strategy
Surprising many fans at the PlayStation 5 event was the reveal of the console itself, and it's certainly a striking bit of kit. Whatever you think of the white and black console, Sony also surprised us with a second SKU of the next-gen machine -- a Digital Edition, one without a disc drive. We weren't necessarily...
News PS5 Will Represent the Best Possible Value, Says Sony
Talking money
How much will PS5 cost? It's a burning question that still remains unanswered by Sony, and it seems the company isn't quite ready to talk numbers just yet. As GamesIndustry points out in a discussion with PlayStation boss Jim Ryan, a possible recession could leave many fans in an unfortunate position. So, what's the word on PS5's...
Opinion Maligned PlayStation Chief Jim Ryan Is Silencing His Critics
Pipe down
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...
News PlayStation Needs to Evolve to Keep Pace with How People Play, Says Sony
Change is an opportunity
“It’s human nature to view change as a risk, but change is every bit an opportunity,” PlayStation boss Jim Ryan told GamesIndustry.biz. He’s referring to stories regarding upheaval at Sony, which has most recently seen the departure of Shawn Layden and role changes for
News Sony: Our Exclusives Are Too Special and Valuable to Giveaway Day One with PS Now
On another level to Xbox
No one is going to argue against the value of Xbox’s Game Pass service, but Sony and Microsoft are in different places with their first-party games. While the former has been breaking long-standing records all generation long with releases like Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, God of War, and Marvel’s Spider-Man, the Team...
News Sony Wants to Transition Players from PS4 to PS5 At an Unprecedented Pace
Second job syndrome
Here’s the concern for Sony: the PlayStation 4 has proven incredibly successful, but a new generation beckons. Naturally, the Japanese giant doesn’t want to leave behind the community of over 100 million players that it’s established, so it needs to convert them to the PlayStation 5 faster than it’s ever done in the past...
News 'We've Always Been There with Indies' Says PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan
Refutes claims Sony's indie focus has slipped
At the beginning of PlayStation 4's life, Sony earned itself a reputation as a huge supporter of indie games and developers. This focus seems to have shifted somewhat over the course of the generation, as the platform holder pours more and more resources into its own blockbuster exclusives. We've seen...
News PlayStation Boss: The Thrust of My Executive Energy Is to Avoid Complacency
Not-so arrogant Sony
Despite dominating the PlayStation 4 generation, Sony still hasn’t quite shaken off the shackles of the devastating PlayStation 3 era. Dare to enter any forum thread about the future of gaming, and you’ll find at least one post referring to the organisation’s “arrogance” or “hubris”. It seems that brand boss Jim...
News Sony: We'll Never Stop Making Single Player, Story-Driven Games
Good to hear
If there's one undeniable thing that Sony's got right this generation, it's the PlayStation 4's first party output. Games like Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and God of War have absolutely blown us away, and even titles like Days Gone and Detroit: Become Human, which weren't quite as well received critically, have...
News Sony: We're At the Beginning of the PS5 Unveil Process
There's much more to come
Sony may be pointing out the obvious, but it’s admitted that it’s at the very beginning of the PlayStation 5 unveiling process. The company has already revealed some of its next-gen system’s specifications, and even demonstrated some features – like the super-fast SSD hard-drive, which allows Marvel’s Spider-Man...
News We Don't Know if PS5 Will Be Our Last Console, Admits PlayStation Boss
"People told us PS4 was going to be a terrible failure"
There’s a common view that time is running out for the humble console. While Sony’s already announced its next-gen system, many feel that we’re moving towards a future of streaming and services, and that means the PlayStation 5 could be the last of its kind. Of course, PlayStation boss...
News Sony Doesn't Think It Talked About PS Now Enough
"We've actually achieved a lot"
The streaming wars have officially arrived: except Sony’s been the sole competitor for eons now. While tech giants like Google and Microsoft make lots of noise about their impending cloud gaming services, it’s always struck us as odd how PlayStation Now has been treated like some kind o
News Sony: Backwards Compatibility Is Absolutely Key to PS5
A "critical success factor" for next-gen
PlayStation boss Jim Ryan’s purported “distaste” for backwards compatibility has been misquoted and misinterpreted for years now, but the businessman would like to set the record straight: the ability to play PlayStation 4 games on the upcoming PlayStation 5 will be “absolutely key” to the success...
News Sony Satisfied with Mix of Third-Party and First-Party Content
PlayStation aims to be publisher friendly
One of the key components of PlayStation’s success since its inception some 25 years ago is how it’s allowed third-party publishers to take centre stage on its systems. If you look back through the history of the brand, franchises like Tomb Raider, Grand Theft Auto, FIFA, and more recently Destiny have...
News Jim Ryan Promoted to Deputy President of Sony Interactive Entertainment
Congratulations
Jim Ryan is one of a few Sony suits you'll recognise from previous press conferences. He's been with the company since 1994, and was made president of SIE Europe in 2011. He was also made head of global sales and marketing in 2016, and helped launch the PS4 Pro and PlayStation VR. His hard work seems to have paid off, as he's...
PGW 2017 PlayStation Boss Comments on Controversial Last of Us 2 Trailer
#4TheAdults
In the off chance that you don't use Twitter or frequently visit gaming forums (seriously, we envy you), you may not have heard about the controversy surrounding The Last of Us: Part II's new trailer. Said trailer depicts some gruesome acts of violence, and the overall tone of the thing is incredibly grim. Sony closed its Paris Games...
