A major shakeup has occurred at Sony Interactive Entertainment as President and CEO Andrew House is stepping down (he’ll stay with the company as a chairman for the rest of the year to help with the transition). Replacing House will be John Kodera, who has worked for Sony since 1992. Most recently, Kodera was the President of Sony Network Entertainment International.
“It’s a great honor to take on the role of President and CEO, SIE,” said Kodera. “I’m very grateful to Kaz and Andy for the trust and faith they have shown in me. I intend to build on the amazing progress Andy has made enhancing the PlayStation brand and expanding the game and network services business, and will strive to further strengthen the unique value proposition we are able to offer via the PlayStation platform. I look forward to working together with the SIE team, and everyone across the Sony Group, to continue to strengthen relations with our business partners, and provide the best possible interactive entertainment experiences, that only PlayStation can deliver.”
House also commented on stepping down. “I’m tremendously proud of what we’ve built with PlayStation and Sony Interactive Entertainment: entertaining millions globally with the best in games and creating a fully fledged digital entertainment company,” said House. “PlayStation has been a huge part of my life for more than 20 years but with the business having achieved record-breaking success, now seemed to be the right time for me to pursue new challenges. I shall always treasure the friendships and people that have made SIE such a wonderful place to work. I’m also grateful to PlayStation fans and gamers around the world for their loyalty and support. John and the team at SIE are world-class and I know the future of PlayStation is very bright.”
Here are the full details from Sony’s announcement:
Sony Corporation and Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (“SIE”) announced today that John (Tsuyoshi) Kodera, currently Deputy President of SIE, has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, SIE, with immediate effect. Current President and Global CEO Andrew House will transition from operational management of SIE, but will remain with SIE as Chairman through the year to ensure a smooth transition. Mr. Kodera has also been appointed Representative Director and President of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc., SIE’s Japan-based legal entity, with immediate effect, while Mr. House has become Director and Chairman, Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. Mr. Kodera will assume overall operational responsibility for SIE including its game and network services businesses globally, and will report directly to Kazuo Hirai, President and CEO, Sony Corporation.
In conjunction with the management transition at SIE, Mr. House is stepping down from his role as EVP, Corporate Executive Officer of Sony Corporation, also effective immediately. Mr. Kodera will continue his role as a Business Executive of Sony Corporation.
For those unfamiliar with John Kodera, Sony also offered up a bio of their new CEO:
Mr. Kodera joined Sony Corporation in 1992, where he was first assigned to planning and control within Sony’s portable audio business. In 1998 he was transferred to Sony Electronics Inc. in the U.S., where he was initially responsible for planning and control of various portable and mobile products, before subsequently being appointed VP of product management for IT products such as PCs. In 2010 he assumed the role of SVP, Corporate Strategy, at the newly established Sony Network Entertainment International LLC (SNEI), and in 2013 was appointed President, SNEI.
Since then, Mr. Kodera has engaged in the launch and the enhancement of an array of network services via the PSN platform. These have included PlayStation Store, which sells the latest game titles, movies and TV shows; the PlayStation Plus subscription service offering members exclusive benefits and content; and the PlayStation Now online game streaming service. Mr. Kodera has also been integral to the launch of several other ground-breaking network services that have greatly enriched the PlayStation experience, including the PlayStation Vue cloud-based TV service, PlayStation Video content distribution service, and PlayStation Music, which leverages a global strategic partnership with Spotify to deliver a best-in-class digital music experience on PSN. Mr. Kodera has contributed significantly to growing this recurring revenue business. Furthermore, since his appointment as Deputy President of SIE last year, he has worked closely with Mr. House on the overall management of the game and network services business including product development, business strategy and system and network engineering.
It’s truly a new era for Sony Interactive Entertainment, and it’ll be exciting to see what Mr. Kodera can do.
[Source: Sony]
