March 29 is the End of an Era for PlayStation

PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan is working his final day as the head of Sony's gaming giant, as the executive is set to retire from the company on March 29. Ryan was promoted to the position in 2019 and led PlayStation through some of its most successful years.

The move was first announced in September when Ryan explained that working in the United States while living in Europe was catching up to him. The Englishman also expressed gratitude to Shuhei Yoshida, a long-time Sony executive whom Ryan praised for his «incredibly sensitive and supportive» leadership. Ryan went on to explain in the September announcement that PlayStation is a «very special company» and that he has greatly valued his time working for the Sony-owned brand.

Ryan is being replaced by Sony president Hiroki Titoki, who is set to serve as an interim CEO for PlayStation until a permanent replacement is found. Sony has yet to confirm when fans can expect an announcement regarding PlayStation's next leader. In December, PlayStation threw a farewell party for Ryan, where the CEO was gifted with a one-of-a-kind PlayStation 5 modeled after the PS1. The company is understandably sad to see Ryan move on, as he worked at Sony for over three decades and led PlayStation during the opening years of its highly successful PS5 era.

In fact, the PlayStation 5 is on track to be Sony's most successful console ever, selling 38 million units by the end of March 2023, which significantly outperforms the PS4 in the same span of time following its launch. In Ryan's final interview on the Official PlayStation Podcast, the CEO said the PlayStation 5 is «well on track to be our most successful console ever, across multiple vectors.»

In the podcast, Ryan further explained that the PS5's strong lineup of first-party titles is the best ever seen in PlayStation's history. The company's smart investments across different developers have positioned PlayStation in an incredibly strong position, Ryan believes, an advantage that will only