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[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

So you think Sony fired him??

There's a pretty big chance they actually did. All I've been hearing is "Jim Ryan's leading PlayStation's best performance ever"...

If it were really him, why the sudden retirement, in the middle of the console generation? Really makes you wonder.

Personally I don't think Jim Ryan has been a complete bust, but there are quite a few things about Sony's current strategy (mainly regarding the PC ports, slow pace in M&A of notable 3P gaming devs/pubs/content, decrease in effective messaging with enthusiasts, sudden price hikes, the heavy GaaS focus etc.) that he has to answer for and I guess this is the answer.

I think all the time & resources spent trying to voice against the ABK deal only for it to ultimately be fruitless, is the damning one. I'd really love to hear more about what pushed Shawn Layden out, even more given this news.

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

Wait—

So, after he pushes out Andy House, Shawn Layden, and basically demotes Shuhei to an indie janitor… *he* leaves?

Wow, gosh. Thanks, Jim! Appreciate all the help.

 

[Rob_27]

Now make PS6 with some good old exotic hardware.

 

[ReBurn]

Now make PS6 with some good old exotic hardware.

999 US DOLLARS

 

[bender]

Now make PS6 with some good old exotic hardware.

999 US DOLLARS

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

If only there was a CEO available … oh wait … what’s Bobby Kottick up to nowadays? Haha Imagine the meltdowns.

Hell no. Keep him as far away as possible. He'd put all of Sony's studios on Destiny 2 support content. Which is even worst than the heavy GaaS and accelerated PC porting strategy of Jim.

It's like a Pick Your Poison. Which one kills you less painfully?

 

[digoutyoursoul]

Publicly he talked less and played a part in a collective that have been delivering a lot more in what actually matters , the final product and have been immensely successful in doing so.

Each to their own but I’d rather have that with Xbox than what we have been getting under someone who gets far more praise for delivering less.

 

[YukiOnna]

Thank god. I hope the new CEO has a different vision in mind, Hulst is out and Shuhei is back as WWS boss. Pipe dream though.

 

[Katatonic]

Guy is a straight killer. The competition will be glad to see him gone.

 

[64bitmodels]

mainly regarding the PC ports, slow pace in M&A of notable 3P gaming devs/pubs/content

Oh come the fuck on. Literally 2 of the best things they've done and yet you're not approving of them?


That latter one especially is just.... are you serious? Do you really want Sony to become a greedy acquiring giant like Microsoft and Disney? Do we really need more of those in the gaming space?

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

This.

He's been at Sony for 28 years. Older than half the people here, FFS.

I'd want to retire too after that long. Enjoy my family and nestegg full time.

Fair point. I just figured he'd stay as CEO a bit longer. Like so many others say, PS5 has been their most successful generation so far money-wise, why wouldn't you want to keep someone leading that around?

Even if you have to bump up their retirement package a bit for a few more years, wouldn't that be worth it?

Oh come the fuck on. Literally 2 of the best things they've done and yet you're not approving of them?


That latter one especially is just.... come the fuck on. Do you really want Sony to become a greedy acquiring giant like Microsoft and Disney? Do we really need more of those in the gaming space?

Don't get me wrong; I'm glad in a sense that Sony hasn't gone on a big 3P acquisition spree the way Microsoft has. However, in the context of what Microsoft's looking to do to Sony in buying publishers...yeah, it's a bit concerning Sony haven't done more to secure foothold with their strongest 3P partners. I'm not even sure if they're making big share purchases into some of them, which would be something at least.

The PC ports aren't inherently a problem. It's the timing cadence and frequency that could become a long-term issue. Been saying that the time between console & PC should be within 1-2 years of a new installment (or new game from that studio) coming to console, before bringing it to PC. So for AAA games that would naturally create a buffer window of ~ 5 or 6 years. The GaaS? Yeah, some of those would make sense being Day 1 on PC.

It's about keeping things as fully integrated in their ecosystem vertically as possible, as long as possible. Unfortunately "PC gaming" is Steam on the wrapper end, but Microsoft ultimately benefits at the end of the day. Vast majority are still using Windows for their OS for gaming. Still gives lots of presence for DirectX, Azure and so on for the dev side of things, and that inherently hurts Sony.

'Ya know, since we know MS's real long-term intentions and all.

 

[Salz01]

Bring back Jack Tretton.

 

[Nonehxc]

Wasn't there a predator guy from Sony a few years back?

Maybe the recent Sony hack found much more than they were looking for, and the true leak was in Jimbo's PeePee.

 

[bender]

There's a pretty big chance they actually did. All I've been hearing is "Jim Ryan's leading PlayStation's best performance ever"...

If it were really him, why the sudden retirement, in the middle of the console generation? Really makes you wonder.

Personally I don't think Jim Ryan has been a complete bust, but there are quite a few things about Sony's current strategy (mainly regarding the PC ports, slow pace in M&A of notable 3P gaming devs/pubs/content, decrease in effective messaging with enthusiasts, sudden price hikes, the heavy GaaS focus etc.) that he has to answer for and I guess this is the answer.

I think all the time & resources spent trying to voice against the ABK deal only for it to ultimately be fruitless, is the damning one. I'd really love to hear more about what pushed Shawn Layden out, even more given this news.

30 years. Mid-50s. Worth north of 250 million. The product he is responsible for is pony-whipping the competition. I wonder if he is going out on top, after a long successful career or if he got fired because "reasons".

 

[vivftp]

Some noteworthy things that occurred under Jim Ryans tenure as head of SIE:

- Mass expansion of headcount across all PS Studios, including some studios going multi-project
- Appointing Hermen as head of SIE. Shu as head of the Indie initiative, and Asad as head of PlayStation Productions
- Greenlighting the creation of PlayStation Productions
- Expansion of PlayStation games to PC and mobile
- More acquisitions than at any point in SIEs history
- Premium accessories became a thing (DS Edge, PS Portal, Pulse Elite, Pulse Explore...)
- The live service initiative began

SIE's changed quite a bit in the nearly 5 years since he took over. I dare say that he's the most transformative head of SIE ever after Kutaragi himself.

 

[8BiTw0LF]

There's a pretty big chance they actually did. All I've been hearing is "Jim Ryan's leading PlayStation's best performance ever"...

If it were really him, why the sudden retirement, in the middle of the console generation? Really makes you wonder.

Personally I don't think Jim Ryan has been a complete bust, but there are quite a few things about Sony's current strategy (mainly regarding the PC ports, slow pace in M&A of notable 3P gaming devs/pubs/content, decrease in effective messaging with enthusiasts, sudden price hikes, the heavy GaaS focus etc.) that he has to answer for and I guess this is the answer.

I think all the time & resources spent trying to voice against the ABK deal only for it to ultimately be fruitless, is the damning one. I'd really love to hear more about what pushed Shawn Layden out, even more given this news.

But it's pure speculation. It might as well be the 6000 files that were stolen last week and/or how he handled the court case against Xbox/Activision.

We don't know and we'll probably never find out.

 

[Katatonic]

All I know is Sony needs to put someone even more ruthless if they plan on staying on top.

 

[Kenneth Haight]

why the sudden retirement

30 years. Mid-50s. Worth north of 250 million.

 

[Zok310]

30+ years at the same company is a fantastic run.

Farewell, and good luck.

Bring on the next sack of meat for the grinder.

 

[T4keD0wN]

Live footage of Robert Morrison from Jim Ryans driveway

 

[Rat Rage]

Boy, I really wonder which soulless corporate suite will follow!

 

[Gaiff]

There's a pretty big chance they actually did. All I've been hearing is "Jim Ryan's leading PlayStation's best performance ever"...

If it were really him, why the sudden retirement, in the middle of the console generation? Really makes you wonder.

Personally I don't think Jim Ryan has been a complete bust, but there are quite a few things about Sony's current strategy (mainly regarding the PC ports, slow pace in M&A of notable 3P gaming devs/pubs/content, decrease in effective messaging with enthusiasts, sudden price hikes, the heavy GaaS focus etc.) that he has to answer for and I guess this is the answer.

I think all the time & resources spent trying to voice against the ABK deal only for it to ultimately be fruitless, is the damning one. I'd really love to hear more about what pushed Shawn Layden out, even more given this news.

That mentality is exactly why Jim Ryan is going out as the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company while you're here posting nonsense on Gaf.

 

[Pejo]

Wonder how that dude with this avatar is feeling today?

 

[Gambit2483]

Some noteworthy things that occurred under Jim Ryans tenure as head of SIE:

- Mass expansion of headcount across all PS Studios, including some studios going multi-project
- Appointing Hermen as head of SIE. Shu as head of the Indie initiative, and Asad as head of PlayStation Productions
- Greenlighting the creation of PlayStation Productions
- Expansion of PlayStation games to PC and mobile
- More acquisitions than at any point in SIEs history
- Premium accessories became a thing (DS Edge, PS Portal, Pulse Elite, Pulse Explore...)
- The live service initiative began

SIE's changed quite a bit in the nearly 5 years since he took over. I dare say that he's the most transformative head of SIE ever after Kutaragi himself.

He had a good run, yes, but it definitely feels like it's time for new leadership.

 

[Stafford]

Why are folk so against Herman Hulst?

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

But it's pure speculation. It might as well be the 6000 files that were stolen last week and/or how he handled the court case against Xbox/Activision.

We don't know and we'll probably never find out.

Yeah, kinda like with Shawn Layden's departure. Or guess we won't find out for a good 20-25 years.

Ok fair. The shock of the news made me forget everything else about him for a minute.

That mentality is exactly why Jim Ryan is going out as the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company while you're here posting nonsense on Gaf.

Damn bro sick burn fr.

 

[Mr.NiceGuy]

Man gamers are idiots.

Jim Ryan while I don't care for him as a person, as a business man he is a cut above the rest, specially having little to none controversies like other major successful evil executives (ahem Bobby shithead Kotick).

Because he is not kissing babies and not signing asses like Phil that makes him not popular. Like I said gamers are idiots (Oh Mr executive, acknowledge my existence please. reply to my twitter and show us your latest forgotten video-game franchise shirt).

30 years in Playstation, made the brand the juggernaut it is in Europe and the middle east parts and helped launch the most successful PlayStation with record years of revenue, profits, and sales of consoles/games. All that while facing competitors like Nintendo who are reaching highs of highs and an XBox division backed by a multi trillion mother company who were given a blank check of 100+ billions.

Other executives like Phil would dream to achieve tenth of Jim Ryan's accomplishments.


In the end GG to the OG, the man is not perfect but I appreciate the massive contributions he made to the brand and hope the successor have the same aggression and hunger and more.

 

[Three]

Literally the opitomy of inheriting greatness.

Glad there's a Japanese person taking over.

I don't think Jim did anything. Have we even seen any games he signed off?

The guy has been at Playstation for 30 years and headed SCEE, one of Playstations most successful regions. You couldn't be more wrong.

 

[Lokaum D+]

This is failure apparently

Yeah, because PlayStation dominance in Europe is Jim doing.

m i the only one that liked Shawn ?

 

[graywolf323]

LOL at anyone who thinks he was forced out. Jesus Christ, guys.

honestly if you want any more proof that GAF is out of touch when it comes to the video game market it’s the worship of Phil Spencer combined with the utter disdain for Jim Ryan

 

[Syphon Filter]

ryan was fine, nerds were mad at him for trivial stuff.

 

[fart town usa]

I just hope the replacement allows for some creativity again.

As much as I enjoy Sony hardware and their VR headsets, they do fuck all outside of TLOU, GOW, Horizon, Spiderman.

Just bores me to tears and the release schedule is so damn slow. Jim wasted a good year with downplaying Sony cause of the ABK deal and now he can't even be bothered to announce anything. It's just all so incredibly boring.

Jim Ryan is the toast sandwich of PlayStation CEOs.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

honestly if you want any more proof that GAF is out of touch when it comes to the video game market it’s the worship of Phil Spencer combined with the utter disdain for Jim Ryan

Well FWIW Phil Spencer's always got his face plastered somewhere forced-smiling or gabbing about in interviews. Jim Ryan rarely does public appearances or promotions.

He handles his business where business is meant to be handled, and I respect him for that. Something I can never say about Phil Spencer.

 

[Del_X]

Jim drove PlayStation’s financials into the ground (operating margin down 40%) and tried to cover with live services. No surprise he’s out.

 

[quest]

Wonder how that dude with this avatar is feeling today?

This.

 

[Maxwell Jacob Friedman]

There's a pretty big chance they actually did. All I've been hearing is "Jim Ryan's leading PlayStation's best performance ever"...

If it were really him, why the sudden retirement, in the middle of the console generation? Really makes you wonder.

Personally I don't think Jim Ryan has been a complete bust, but there are quite a few things about Sony's current strategy (mainly regarding the PC ports, slow pace in M&A of notable 3P gaming devs/pubs/content, decrease in effective messaging with enthusiasts, sudden price hikes, the heavy GaaS focus etc.) that he has to answer for and I guess this is the answer.

I think all the time & resources spent trying to voice against the ABK deal only for it to ultimately be fruitless, is the damning one. I'd really love to hear more about what pushed Shawn Layden out, even more given this news.

.....because he gets to retire on top when ps5 is doing some of its best numbers.... lol this would make more sense if Jim kept fumbling the ball ans they were losing to MS, but MS in third place lmfao

 

[tmlDan]

Yeah, because PlayStation dominance in Europe is Jim doing.

m i the only one that liked Shawn ?

Are you serious? he was president and CEO of SIEE and even before that, he was SIEE's executive vice president and co-chief operating officer (COO).

 

[ReBurn]

 

[bitbydeath]

Nah

Insomniac without Ted Price would be a tragedy for one. Not every drv needs to operate like Insomniac either

Ted knows how to streamline development and churn out games faster than anyone in gaming, every dev in existence can only wish to operate like them.

 

[64bitmodels]

yeah, it's a bit concerning Sony haven't done more to secure foothold with their strongest 3P partners. I'm not even sure if they're making big share purchases into some of them, which would be something at least.

Sony will never need to do that because their strongest 3P partners have nothing to want to do with Xbox, who is in last place, has the lowest console sales, and buys the least fucking games. They're an afterthought only considered when gamepass is in the equation. Why the fuck would they ever want to sell to Microsoft, or even make any major deals with them unless MS brings a ginormous sum of cash to the table? Capcom said they wouldn't let it happen, already. I can imagine many other 3P publishers feel the same way too.

 

[Rockman33]

We really won’t see his full effect until we get through this generation. Theres probably not too many games he greenlit that has actually come out. All of the big ones since 2019 were almost certainly greenlit before he took over. For example:

TLOU2
Ghost
Ratchet
Returnal
God of War 2
Miles

 

[envyzeal]

Good night sweet prince. I’m selling my ps5.

 

[Jigsaah]

Shu was horrible as ceo

Really? What makes you say that?

 

[skit_data]

Interesting, I really wonder who will be replacing him.
They are very much navigating uncharted waters (PC releases, Xbox being way more agressive in terms of acquisitions, rising costs of producing big games, etc.) so having the right guy at the top becomes increasingly important.
Feels like they need someone with much more hands on experience with the technical side combined with a real neck of making succesful economic decisions in both the short and long term. I think you might need someone a little younger to check all those but even then it will be hard to say yay or nay until the person has been in the position for at least a while.

 

[angrod14]

I hope Druckmann gets the position. He's so hot right now.

 

[ulantan]

Yeah, because PlayStation dominance in Europe is Jim doing.

m i the only one that liked Shawn ?

Jim was literally in charge of Europe that's all him.

 

[Kacho]

So do we think the GaaS stuff will keep going with Jim gone?

Probably.

It will also take many years for PlayStation to move past the Jim Ryan era.

 

[Crayon]

Ha! He was in for bad cop!

Don't be suprised when whatever smiling face they put in doesn't roll back the price hikes!

 

[Kdad]

999 US DOLLARS

Getting my 2nd job now and pre-ordering two
Let's fucking go, Cell chip 2

 

[Bruno_Arrais85]

Shawn Layden epic return