Sony Interactive Entertainment has today announced that Shuhei Yoshida will step down from his position as President of Worldwide Studios, effective immediately. 

Yoshida has been a prominent and rising member of the PlayStation brand since its very early beginnings in 1993 where he was Lead Account Executive.  

But what made Yoshida a fan favourite with PlayStation players was his increased presence both online and in podcasts. His increased appearances on IGN’s Podcast Beyond made him into more than just the President of Worldwide Studios, he became an approachable figure online and he would answer fans consistently, as he continues to do to this day. 

As one door closes, another opens as Yoshida will be leading a brand new SIE company initiative focusing on “celebrating external developers that are creating new and unexpected experiences for the gaming community.” Within this new role, Yoshida will report directly to Jim Ryan, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment 

Ryan had nothing but praise for both Yoshida and the new initiate. 

“I am thrilled to announce Shu Yoshida as head of this new initiative. Everybody knows just how passionate Shu is about independent games – they are lifeblood of the industry, making our content portfolio so special for our gamers. These wildly creative experiences deserve focus and a champion like Shu at PlayStation who will ensure the entire SIE organization works together to better engage with independent developers through a culture of supporting and celebrating their contributions to PlayStation platforms.”

 This news come as a new Head of Worldwide Studios is appointed one Guerrilla Games Hermen Hulst.

Hulst co-founded Guerrilla and worked on the Killzone franchise and 2017’s massive PlayStation success, Horizon Zero Dawn, as well as the Decima Engine that was most recently used for Kojima Production’s Death Stranding.

Jim Ryan spoke to Hulst’s success in the industry and how well suited he is for the role.

“Hermen is one of the most effective and well-respected leaders in the video game industry. He is a passionate advocate for the teams he leads and understands how to empower creative talent to build great experiences.”