JIm Ryan Retiring in March 2024

[Wman1996]

Hiku said:

He was definitely a 'numbers guy', and I think that's okay if you're good enough at what you do.
Other, more charismatic people from the company can handle the PR aspects as much as possible instead.

Not sure what I think about his tenure since it's difficult to pinpoint everything he was responsible for. Since games can take 6-7+ years to develop, we may be seeing games he greenlit up until 2030+. But some people on the internet will be quick to attribute those games to whomever replaces him.

In terms of finances, he was competent. That is mostly what shareholders care about.

Ryan's many weaknesses were in public relations, mostly ignoring Japan (in terms of the market itself and Sony's devs), and undervaluing legacy content and older Sony IPs that could be revived. 

It's so frustrating that so many CEOs of these companies aren't gamers. If Jim Ryan is a gamer beyond the very casual dabble here and there, I'd be shocked. Satoru Iwata had a good number of faults helming Nintendo, but he was a gamer. His leadership was a clear net positive for Nintendo even when during the Wii U days, I thought it was time for him to retire or have a less significant role at Nintendo (before his sad passing). 

Last edited by Wman1996 - on 29 September 2023