Since April 1, 2024, Sony President Hiroki Totoki has officially become the CEO of PlayStation. The new head announced back in February that he wants to make Sony’s gaming division more profitable. Apparently, the company plans to focus more on multi-platform releases and less on exclusive titles for the PS5.
What is the current situation at Sony? PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan has stepped down after 5 years. On April 1, 2024, Hiroki Totoki assumed the role as interim head. Although this date is mainly associated with jokes here, it marks the start of the new fiscal year in Japan.
He is to take over Ryan’s role until a permanent replacement is found and will work closely with the management team of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Who is Hiroki Totoki? Totoki has been with Sony since 1987 and has held many roles within the company during that time. Besides his new role as PlayStation CEO, he is also President, COO, and CFO of Sony Group Corporation. Thus, he holds the second-highest executive position in the company, reporting only to Sony CEO Kenchiro Yoshida.
Everything for the Margin
What does Totoki say about his appointment? The new PlayStation CEO already spoke in February about his plans for Sony’s gaming sector. Totoki stated that while there had been an increase in revenue in this area, there had not been a corresponding increase in profit.
He believes there are opportunities to improve the profit margin, Totoki said. To increase the margin, he plans an “aggressive” strategy.
New CEO Already Has Plans
How does this affect exclusives? According to Totoki, a multi-platform approach is the way forward. Previously, he explained in February, the focus was primarily on strengthening the consoles. The purpose of a first-party title was to make PlayStation more popular.
However, the PS5 is on track to become the most successful Sony console ever, as Jim Ryan announced in the official PlayStation podcast on March 29. It seems that the console is no longer entirely reliant on the push from exclusive first-party titles.
Instead, Totoki explained in February, strong first-party content could grow on other platforms – such as PC – and thus also generate more profit. This development has already been apparent in recent years: In 2023, it was announced that more former exclusives would be brought to PC.
For instance, in May this year, Ghost of Tsushima will be available on Steam, which many gamers have been eagerly awaiting to play the action-adventure on PC.
At the same time, no major exclusives in established brands are planned for the current fiscal year, from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025. More on this from our colleagues at GamePro.
Furthermore, Sony likely noticed how well the cross-platform release of the surprise hit Helldivers 2 worked.
So, it seems that we can expect fewer PlayStation exclusives in the future. At the very least, the games that were once so closely guarded are likely to appear on Steam and other platforms much sooner.
However, Totoki’s statements, as mentioned, mostly come from February 2024. Now that he is officially in the saddle as PlayStation CEO, it remains to be seen how exactly his “aggressive” approach will take shape.
It is also unclear how long the interim head will remain in office and how much he can truly change during this time. Nevertheless, his statements already provide a glimpse of where Sony intends to head.
For now, however, PS5 fans can look forward to an exclusive title that is known for its beautiful heroine and cool fights.
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