Sony’s Andrew House to step down as president and global CEO

Sony has announced a major reshuffle of its executive management team that will see Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Andrew House step down from his role as president and global CEO and deputy president John Kodera take his place as president and CEO with immediate effect.

House, who joined Sony in 1990 and helped launch the very first PlayStation in 1995, will also step down from his role as EVP, corporate executive officer at Sony Corporation, but will remain as chairman of SIE for another year to ensure a smooth transition. He will also become director and chairman of SIE Inc, SIE’s Japan-based legal entity.

House was a key player in Sony’s PlayStation business, having assumed the role of president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment in 2011. He was also instrumental in the launch of the PlayStation 4, which is set to reach cumulative sales of 78m units this fiscal year.

Kodera, meanwhile, joined Sony in 1992 and was appointed president of Sony Network Entertainment International in 2013. There, he launched an array of network services via the PSNSM platform, including the PlayStation Store, the PlayStation Plus subscription service, online streaming platform PlayStation Now, as well as its cloud-based TV service PlayStation Vue, video distribution service PlayStation Video and music streaming service PlayStation Music.

Kodera will continue his role as business executive of Sony, as well as take on the responsibility of becoming representative director and president of SIE Inc. Kodera will also assume overall responsibility for SIE, including its global game and network services businesses, where he will report directly to Sony’s president and CEO Kazuo Hirai.

Hirai commented: "When I passed the baton of leadership for Sony Computer Entertainment to Andrew House in 2011, I was confident that I was leaving the PlayStation business in the best possible hands, and so it has proved. I’m extremely grateful to Andy for the great contribution he has made to evolving the PlayStation business, and firmly positioning it as one of the drivers of our future growth. Andy and I go back more than 20 years and spent much of this time together, dedicating ourselves to ensuring the success of the PlayStation business. I would like to thank Andy for his contribution over many years, and wish him every success in the future.

"John Kodera has led Sony’s network service business since 2013 and played a pivotal role in its growth. He is a truly global executive, possessing strategic understanding, strength of conviction and outstanding leadership capabilities. Since his appointment as Deputy President of SIE last year, alongside Andy he has also been responsible for the company’s overall business strategy and product planning. With the significance of network services increasing across the entire Sony Group, I believe that John is ideally equipped to build on the foundations Andy has left in place, and drive Sony’s game and network services business to further growth and excitement going forward."

Andrew House added:"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."

Kodera said: "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. I look forward to working together with the SIE team, and everyone across the Sony Group, to continue to strengthen relations with our business partners, and provide the best possible interactive entertainment experiences, that only PlayStation can deliver."