Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO and PlayStation boss Andrew House is leaving the company after 27 years. After being a part of the company throughout the entirety of its venture into console manufacturing, House now hands over the reins of the company to John Kodera, remaining the chairman until finally departing at the end of 2017.
House joined Sony in 1990, with him being a part of the original PlayStation’s launch in 1997. After Kaz Hirai moved on from his position as PlayStation president to become the Sony CEO, House filled his role, most notably leading the Sony Interactive Entertainment division to huge success with the PS4. “PlayStation has been a huge part of my life for more than 20 years,” House said in a statement. “But with the business having achieved record-breaking success, now seemed to be the right time for me to pursue new challenges.”
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“I shall always treasure the friendships and people that have made SIE such a wonderful place to work,” he continued. “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.”
John Kodera is a mainstay of the PlayStation family, too, with him having led Sony Network Entertainment since 2013. In this role Kodera has served as House’s deputy, so he should be more than familiar with the requirements of the position, and he acknowledged House’s contributions to the company in his own statement. “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,” Kodera said. “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.”
There’s no word yet on where House will be moving to after his departure from Sony, but it shouldn’t be difficult for him to find work considering his success at Sony. With the PS4 storming ahead of the competition this console generation, the PlayStation division has never looked better, with Kodera now just needing to keep things on track until the next generation rolls around.
