Andrew House leaving Sony after 27 years
Will remain as chairman until the end of the year, is immediately succeeded by Tsuyoshi ' John' Kodera
Sony has announced a major reshuffle of its senior management for the PlayStation business which sees CEO Andrew House ultimately leaving the firm.
The platform holder has announced that Tsuyoshi 'John' Kodera has stepped up from deputy president for Sony Interactive Entertainment to House's role as president and CEO, effective immediately. He will report directly to Sony Corporation president and CEO Kazuo Hirai.
House will remain with SIE as chairman until the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition, but will depart from PlayStation after 27 years at the company.
House joined Sony back in 1990, initially in corporate communications as Sony's headquarters. In 1995, he moved over to marketing where he helped launch the original PlayStation. He has held numerous key positions throughout his career at both PlayStation and Sony Corporation, ultimately securing his most recent position as president and CEO in 2011.
His accomplishments not only include the launches of all four PlayStation consoles, but also contributions to the success of PlayStation Network, PlayStation Plus, PlayStation Now and PlayStation Vue. Last year, he merged Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment to form the current business group Sony Interactive Entertainment.
"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."
Kodera, meanwhile, also has a storied career at Sony, having joined its portable audio business in 1992. He has been integral to the launch of the PlayStation Store, PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now services. He has been working closely with House since being promoted to deputy president of SIE last year.
Kodera added: ""It's a great honor to take on the role of President and CEO, SIE, and 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. "