Big changes are happening at the company responsible for the PlayStation. Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) CEO Andrew House stepped down as the company's president and CEO to "pursue new challenges." House's deputy, John Kodera, will assume his role effective immediately.
Even though House is leaving the company, Sony said that he’ll stay with SIE as a chairman in order to “ensure a smooth transition.” In addition to House’s former position, Kodera will also take on the position of representative director and president of Sony Interactive, Inc., which is the Japan-based legal entity of SIE. In light of the managerial changes, House provided a statement through a company press release:
“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. 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.”
House has led SIE, the umbrella group for Sony’s PlayStation brand, since Kaz Hirai was promoted to the presidency of Sony Corporation in 2011. As head of SIE, House saw the release of multiple devices, such as the PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, PlayStation VR, and PlayStation 4 Pro. Prior to to the SIE leadership role, House served as the Chief Marketing Officer for Sony as well as the president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. He also helped with the launch of the original PlayStation console as part of the marketing and communications team.
Whereas House’s tenure at Sony was all about PlayStation, Kodera’s experience with the company started at its portable audio division in 1992. His first venture in the PlayStation family was in 2010 when he took on the role of senior vice president of corporate strategy at Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI). This division encompassed PlayStation Plus, the PlayStation Now game streaming service, PlayStation Vue (a TV subscription platform), and PlayStation Music. He was then promoted to lead SNEI in 2013 before taking on the role of deputy president of SIE last year.
