The departure of Jim Ryan as president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation) It was news that shook the video game industry. After 30 years as part of the Japanese corporation, the executive announced his retirement at the end of last September. A decision that will become effective starting next March.
Taking advantage of the final stretch of his management, the manager spoke with Variety about his three-decade journey with the company. Asked what his greatest challenge was as leader of PlayStation, the Briton did not hesitate: the launch of the PS5 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Jim Ryan explained, the coronavirus health emergency generated a series of obstacles and problems that, at first, seemed impossible to overcome or solve. The most visible face of PlayStation recognized that, despite the critical moment, he had to show his employees—and everyone else linked to SIE—that he had what it took to lead them to new success. Although it wasn’t easy.
“My job was to radiate a sense of calm and serenity. [Pero] Actually, it was there, on my dining room table, with my head in my hands and wondering how we were going to do this” confessed Jim Ryan.
Launching the PS5 in the middle of a pandemic, Jim Ryan’s biggest challenge
Let us remember that the specifications of the PS5 were announced in March 2020, when many countries They had just entered confinement due to the increase in COVID-19 cases. And the console hit the market in November of that same year, although for a long time it was practically impossible to obtain. Added to the very high demand for the device during the pandemic was the shortage of chips, as well as problems with resellers.
But launching the PlayStation 5 in a challenging context It gave Jim Ryan more than a headache. Not only because of the inconveniences in the production line, but also because of the delays in the development of new games and the effects of the coronavirus on distribution and sales channels.
“We assembled the vast majority of PlayStations in China, and no one could get in [al país]. Finishing games when developers couldn’t get together and eat pizza and brainstorm their projects was another challenge. And then the not insignificant mission of selling our product to consumers when retail was completely closed,” explained Jim Ryan.
Despite the setbacks, the PS5 had its global launch prior to the 2020 holidays, just as Sony had planned. It is true that in some countries it suffered delays, but the main objective was achieved. A work almost pharaonic and for which Jim Ryan was very proud of what was done by all those involved.
With his impending departure from PlayStation, Jim Ryan has an interim replacement already in place. Is about Hiroki Totoki, current head of finance and operations at Sony Interactive Entertainment. In any case, the company is looking for an executive to definitively take over the reins left by the Briton.
PlayStation’s new interim CEO will have some important challenges ahead of him. Despite the success of the PS5, Sony has cut the projection of units to be sold in the current fiscal year. This had a strong impact on the company’s valuation, which was reduced by $10 billion in less than a week. It is expected that the Japanese will try to boost interest in their console in the second half with the PS5 Pro.
