Hideaki Nishino Promoted to Sole CEO of SIE, Hermen Hulst to Continue as Head of PlayStation Studios

Hideaki Nishino has been appointed as the sole CEO and president of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) in a leadership shakeup at Sony and PlayStation. Nishino, who was announced as SIE co-CEO in charge of Platform Business Group in June 2024, will take up his new role on April 1, 2025, Sony announced Tuesday. The leadership shuffle means Hermen Hulst, who was announced as PlayStation co-CEO in charge of Studio Business Group last year, will no longer split SIE leadership with Nishino, but will instead report to him. Hulst, however, will continue to lead PlayStation Studios, Sony said.

“This marks an evolution designed to maximize synergies across SIE that was announced in May 2024 in which Nishino was appointed CEO of the Platform Business Group effective June 1, 2024, alongside Hermen Hulst who was appointed CEO of the Studio Business Group,” the company said in a press release.

Sony Group Appoints New CEO

The PlayStation parent also announced that Hiroki Totoki, president, COO and CFO of Sony Group Corporation, will step down from the SIE Chairman position to take charge as president and CEO of the entire company, effective April 1. Additionally, Lin Tao, who currently serves as SVP, Finance, Corporate Strategy and Development for SIE, will be promoted to CFO of Sony Group.

“I am truly honored to take the helm at Sony Interactive Entertainment. Technology and creativity are two of our biggest strengths as we continue to focus on developing experiences that deliver entertainment for everyone,” Nishino said.

"We will continue to grow the PlayStation community in new ways, such as IP expansion, while also delivering the best in technology innovation. I want to thank Hermen for his expertise and leadership as he continues his role as CEO, Studio Business group. I am deeply grateful for the PlayStation community and their continued support and I am very excited for what the future holds,” he added.

Leadership Shakeup at SIE

While Hulst will continue as CEO of Studio Business Group, overseeing the development, publishing, and business operations of SIE's first-party content, the shakeup is being seen as a demotion for him as Nishino takes sole charge of SIE.

The leadership change could be a result of Sony's recent misfires, particularly the failed launch of Concord, a first-party hero shooter. Hulst, as CEO of Studio Business Group at SIE, had reportedly championed the game internally.

Concord was Sony's biggest live-service bet, with the company reportedly spending upwards of $200 million (roughly Rs. 1,670 crore) on the game's development. Concord is said to have cost $400 million (roughly Rs. 3,341 crore) to make. Sony even ended up acquiring Concord developer Firewalk Studios in April 2023.

The game, however, launched in August 2024 to virtually zero interest from players, with a dismal peak concurrent player count of 697 on Steam, before it was scrubbed from PlayStation and PC storefronts and taken offline less than two weeks after release.

In October, Sony announced it was shutting down Firewalk Studios and sunsetting Concord permanently, admitting that it did not hit its targets with the multiplayer title.

“The PvP first person shooter genre is a competitive space that's continuously evolving, and unfortunately, we did not hit our targets with this title. We will take the lessons learned from Concord and continue to advance our live service capabilities to deliver future growth in this area,” Hulst had said at the time.

Hulst and Nishino were announced as SIE co-CEOs in charge of the company's Studio Business Group and Platform Business Group, respectively, in June 2024. "While having two CEOs is a new structure for SIE, we know this will foster greater creativity and innovation as we look for new ways to grow the business, always keeping our community at the forefront. Two distinct Business Groups will enable us to have more rigor and clarity across our lines of business as SIE continues to grow and evolve," the pair had told SIE employees in an email at the time.