Sony announces changes to the PlayStation brand, including the change of role of Suhei Yoshida and the replacement of Shawn Layden in charge of Worlwide Studios.
After the sudden march of Shawn Layden and with PlayStation 5 in a near horizon, Sony has begun to prepare its future equipment for the next few years. A team that, for the first time since 2008, will not be commanded by Suhei Yoshida. The company has announced that Yoshida will leave his position as president of Sony Worlwide Studios and that for now his duties will be assumed by the replacement of Layden, who already has a name. This is Hermen Hulst, co-founder and managing director of Guerrilla Games, responsible for sagas such as Killzone and Horizon Zero Dawn. Helmen will take office immediately and will be in charge of all the internal developments that are currently in the hands of the more than 14 first party studios of the PlayStation brand.
“Hermen is a European who is going to handle one of the biggest PlayStation divisions. I think that everyone in Europe should be excited and happy and proud that this happens, ”said Jim Ryan, CEO of the brand. “Hermen is one of the most respected and effective leaders in the video game industry. He is a passionate defender of the teams that leads and understands how to enhance creative talent to create great experiences. I have no doubt that Hermen will lead our teams to constantly develop compelling and diverse experiences. ”
Everything has rushed after the departure of Shawn Layden, president of Sony Worlwide Studios.
Hermen, who, as Jim Ryan said, is European (specifically Dutch, as is Guerrilla Games, which is based in Amsterdam), thus responded to such an opportunity: “I have worked side by side with PlayStation and the entire Worldwide Studios family since 2001 and I have the greatest respect and all possible admiration for his creative talent and for the ambitious ideas of his teams in the United States, Europe and Japan. ” His position as leader of Guerrilla is well covered by Angie Smets, executive producer of the developer, who has been working on it for more than fifteen years and will now assume all his duties.
What will happen now with Yoshida?
Far from thinking about retirement (still 55 years old), Yoshida will have a new role within Sony focused on seeking, caring and “nurturing” smaller and independent external studies. "Everyone knows Shu's passion for independent games, they are the soul of this industry and they make our catalog special," said Jim Ryan. "These experiences of wild creativity require dedication and a champion like Shu will ensure that Sony as an organization works and relates better to small developers, creating a culture that supports and celebrates its contributions to PlayStation consoles."
