We reported yesterday on the shake-up at Sony, headlined by Ken Kutaragi’s switch to chairman from being the game unit president. That opening led to Sony Computer Entertainment America’s head to move offices to Tokyo where Kazuo Hirai will become president and chief operating officer of Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan. With all of the gears in motion, Jack Tretton ascended to CEO of SCEA, replacing Hirai. All of these changes, which amount to nothing but a switching of chairs, led to wild speculation by some analysts that Sony’s PlayStation 3 would be their last console.
Now Sony is commenting on the changes. “Jack has been with SCEA since its formation and helped pilot the debuts of the original PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and the successful launch of the recently released PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system,” said Hirai. “Given his experience and exceptional reputation in the industry, I can think of no better person to assume the helm of the PlayStation brand in the US, Canada and Latin America.”
“I am determined to build upon the momentum that Kaz and the entire SCEA staff has developed for the entire PlayStation family of products here in the US over the years,” said Tretton. “Moving forward, we will remain focused on the continued market leadership of the PlayStation brand, driving consumer demand for the new PS3, and existing platforms such as PSP and PS2, which continue to excel in the marketplace.”
As for the talk about an end to Sony’s PlayStation, SCEA publicity chief Dave Karraker responded on GameSpot. “Following the launch of the PlayStation 3 just a few weeks ago, and witnessing the huge consumer demand for the product, I think it would be rather short-sighted for anyone to predict there might not be a next generation of PlayStation product.”
