Jack Tretton Steps Down As CEO Of Sony Computer Entertainment America
It seems like nobody is safe at any level of employment across Sony. According to a press release, Sony CEO and president Jack Tretton will step down from his role at Sony Computer Entertainment America. He will not renew his contract with Sony, which effectively ends on March 31st of this year. He will be replaced by Executive Vice President and COO of Sony Network Entertainment International, Shawn Layden.
Mr. Tretton:
"Working at SCEA for the past 19 years has been the most rewarding experience of my career. Although I will deeply miss the talented team at SCEA and the passion demonstrated every day by our fans, I’m very excited about starting the next chapter of my career. I want to thank the employees, partners and customers for their tireless commitment to the PlayStation brand and, of course, to our fans who have pushed us to new heights of innovation and entertainment over the past two decades. I leave PlayStation in a position of considerable strength and the future will only get brighter for PlayStation Nation."
For those who are unaware of Jack Tretton, he was a key figure in the PlayStation 4’s rise to popularity during last year’s E3. He was the one to go on stage and deliver the welcomed news that the PS4 would not restrict used games or the reselling of games, nor would they require any sort of periodic online check-in. At the time, this was in stark contrast to Microsoft’s policies with the then-publicized version of the Xbox One, which was ready to utilize such DRM measures, as well as a Family Sharing plan, that ultimately was changed before release. It was, in many people’s eyes, a turning point for the PS4.
Jack Tretton has been there from the beginning of Sony’s exploration into console games. It will be a little odd to see SCEA run under somebody else’s tutelage. With recent layoffs at studios, stores, key creative members and now the President and CEO of a major Sony corporation, it is quite an unnerving time to own stock in Sony.
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