Ken Kutaragi resigns

Following last November’s reshuffle that saw him move from the position of SCE president to that of chairman and group CEO, Sony has confirmed that Ken Kuturagi will retire from his executive position this July.

Though he will adopt the position of SCEI ‘honorary chairman’ and continue to advise chairman and CEO Howard Stringer, this move appears to be the closing chapter in the career of the man that was instrumental in the creation on the first PlayStation hardware.

Moving in the other direction, current SCEI president and group COO Kazuo Hirai will be promoted to president and group CEO.

“I am happy to graduate from Sony Computer Entertainment after introducing four platforms to the PlayStation family,” Kutaragi said. “It has been an exciting experience to change the world of computer entertainment by marrying cutting edge technologies with creative minds from all over the world. I’m looking forward to building on this vision in my next endeavours.”

Howard Stringer added: "Ken Kutaragi is a rare combination of a powerful visionary and entrepreneur in one figure. Not only has he created a multi-billion dollar business for the Sony Group, he has brought the industry into a new dimension.

"Sony has benefited tremendously from his vision, his creative genius, and from the very strong team he assembled and nurtured. As Ken moves forward to pursue new opportunities, we will encourage and support him.

"My support also goes to Kazuo Hirai, who is a terrific executive with a proven track record with PlayStation business in the US. I am confident that he will inspire and lead SCEI to new heights."