Love crossword puzzles but don’t have all day to sit and solve a full-sized puzzle in your daily newspaper? That’s what The Mini is for!
Sony Group CFO & COO Hiroki Totoki Is PlayStation’s CEO, Starting Today
01.04.2024 - 12:21 / gameranx.com / Jim Ryan / London Studio
Hiroki Totoki officially takes control of PlayStation as their interim CEO, starting today, April 1, 2024.
As we had reported last September, Hiroki’s official entry date was decided at the same time that PlayStation’s last head, Jim Ryan, announced plans to retire.
Going back to the official press release from Sony, this is what they said about Totoki’s new role in the division:
“Effective April 1, 2024, Mr. Totoki will be appointed Interim CEO of SIE while he continues his current role at Sony Group Corporation. Mr. Totoki will work closely with Sony Group Corporation Chairman and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida and the management team of SIE to help define the next chapter of PlayStation’s future, including the succession of the SIE CEO role.”
When the press frequently refer to Totoki as interim CEO, it comes from this press release. Sony make it clear that they do not plan to have Totoki run PlayStation at the same time he takes on other senior positions in the company moving forward. But Sony’s messaging suggests that Totoki was put in this position so that he would review Sony’s PlayStation business, with the intention of making changes in its direction.
Sony has seen decades of success with their PlayStation division, but like any other video game company, they have also seen their peaks and valleys in the business. Gamers may hyperfixate on the PlayStation vs. Xbox competition, but for Sony higher-ups like Totoki, it’s a bigger concern that PlayStation spent a lot of money on licensing Spider-man from Disney to make big budget games, but products like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 are not selling at a significant enough attach rate to make the money spent worldwide.
It would have been easier months ago to accuse Totoki of planning to cut the PlayStation division down. Rumors have long simmered that because of its extended success, PlayStation received preferential treatment within Sony, particularly to how much money they spent. As the CFO, Totoki looked like the exact person to clamp down on that.
But before Jim Ryan left, PlayStation instituted layoffs across the division. Those layoffs reflected immediate accountability for the console division failing to live up to expectations. Sony even had some layoffs in Japan, a move so notoriously expensive because of local labor laws, that Japanese companies avoid doing so as a general rule. And as we know, layoffs were already happening before within PlayStation, and that now includes the closure of London Studio.
So perhaps Totoki’s role now is to focus directly on making PlayStation profitable in this particularly difficult time in the industry. That may lead to some more layoffs, but more likely, Totoki will order to end certain projects, to cut down scale on
The website gametalkz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Authors
Popular Topics
digitaltrends.com
18.04.2024 / 14:35
NYT Mini Crossword today: puzzle answers for Thursday, April 18
gameranx.com
16.04.2024 / 12:45
PlayStation 5 Pro YouTube Video Copyright Claimed By Sony
Sony has placed a copyright claim on a leaks video about the PlayStation 5 Pro.
tech.hindustantimes.com
16.04.2024 / 04:18
LG introduces ArtCool AC series with smart energy-saving features starting at ₹35000: Check all details
With the launch of the LG ArtCool AC series, the company announced a significant milestone with the sale of 1 Million ACs in 2024 after the launch of premium models. Now, a new series of AC is here with some smart features such as Diet Mode, Him Clean, and much more. The AC consists of a new design which may come to the liking of several buyers. As summer approaches, many of you may be looking for new air conditioners. The new LG ArtCool AC offers several smart features, energy saving, and more. Check out the features and specifications of the new LG AC series.
wccftech.com
12.04.2024 / 15:39
PlayStation’s Ex Head of 3rd Party Joins Nintendo AAA 3rd Party Team as Switch 2 Approaches
While he may not be as well known as, say, Jim Ryan, longtime PlayStation fans will no doubt recognize the name Gio Corsi. As PlayStation’s former senior director of third party production, Corsi spearheaded a lot of initiatives – he was particularly noted as a booster of the PS Vita and was responsible for bringing a lot of Japanese Vita titles to a worldwide audience. He also was responsible for jumpstarting interest in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise worldwide after the series initially kind of sputtered out in the West.
tech.hindustantimes.com
08.04.2024 / 12:35
Sony PlayStation 5 to get up to ₹13000 price cut during Summer Promo Offer- Details
Planning to buy a Sony PlayStation 5? Then we have good news for you, as the company will be announcing a Summer Promo Offer in India. The upcoming offer will significantly reduce the price of the PS5 Disc Edition, making it the right time to purchase Sony's PS5. If you are a gaming enthusiast, then you must not miss this huge offer as it is expected to get up to ₹13000 discount on the 2021 version of the PS5. Know more about the Sony Summer Promo Offer. Note that this discount will not be applicable to the newly launched PS 5 Slim models.
tech.hindustantimes.com
07.04.2024 / 07:09
Blinkit gets weird Sony PS 5 Slim buying request with delivery agent, sparks online buzz; CEO reacts
In a quirky turn of events, Blinkit, the quick-commerce platform, has stirred a wave of laughter across the internet. Following their partnership with Sony for the swift delivery of PlayStation 5 (PS5) Slim editions and controllers in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru within just 10 minutes, an unexpected demand from a user caught everyone's attention, including Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa.
gameranx.com
05.04.2024 / 12:19
Rumor: PlayStation 5 Will Get More Smaller Games In 2024, Including A New Astro Bot
Sony fans aren’t exactly in a great place this year. The current head of PlayStation, Hiroki Totoki, flat out confirmed that they don’t have any big scale first party AAAs scheduled to release for all of this financial year, and we are at month one of that period.
tech.hindustantimes.com
05.04.2024 / 06:51
Sony PlayStation 5 Slim console launches in India: How is it different from PS5 and all details
Sony has announced the launch of the latest version of its gaming console, the PlayStation 5 (PS5) Slim in India. The PS5 was launched globally in 2019 and was highly sought after, so much so that scalpers started reselling it on eBay for massive profits. With the shortage over and gamers enjoying a selection of excellent games, Sony has launched the latest iteration of the PS5, dubbed the PS5 Slim.
tech.hindustantimes.com
05.04.2024 / 04:49
Sony PlayStation 5 Slim launching today, Blinkit to deliver in just 10 minutes- India prices and all details
Indian quick commerce company Blinkit has now promised to bring the all-new PlayStation 5 (PS5) Slim to gamers' doorsteps. This move comes amidst the launch of the new Sony PS5 Slim in India and its sale commencing today at 10 AM IST, and the company aims to make it more easily accessible, taking advantage of Blinkit's 10-minute delivery services which are usually used for grocery and other household goods.
gamerant.com
03.04.2024 / 21:47
None of Most Popular PlayStation Games Are Made by Sony
Unlike the Xbox and Switch, PlayStation's top 10 games ranked by average monthly active users (MAU) don't contain any first-party titles. Most of the slots on PlayStation, as well as on other platforms, are taken up by industry titans like Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Modern Warfare 3.
gamerant.com
03.04.2024 / 17:15
Sony 'Fixes' PlayStation Portal Hack That Let It Run PSP Games
After Google engineers hacked the PlayStation Portal to run PSP games natively, Sony fixed the bug, removing this unintended functionality from its latest handheld. The fix had a helping hand from engineers Andy Nguyen and Calle Svensson when the former said they «responsibly reported the issues to PlayStation,» allowing Sony to find and patch the bug.
pushsquare.com
03.04.2024 / 00:19
New PlayStation CEO Hiroki Totoki Starts Temporary Role Today | Push Square
Sony president Hiroki Totoki will today step into his new role as PlayStation CEO following Jim Ryan's retirement after a more than 30-year tenure at the company. While retaining his duties across the wider business, Totoki's main objective will be to aid the search for a true successor to Jim Ryan while defining «the next chapter of PlayStation's future».