Menu Close

SCEA President Jack Tretton Stepping Down This Month

It's the end of an era.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. has announced that SCEA President and CEO Jack Tretton will step down as of March 31, 2014. This is due to a mutual agreement between Tretton and SCEA not to renew their contractual relationship.

Tretton's replacement will be Shawn Layden, who is currently the Executive Vice President and COO of Sony Network Entertainment International. He will assume his new role as President and CEO of SCEA on April 1, 2014. As for Tretton, he played a critical role in launching all PlayStation platforms, dating back to the PS1 in 1995. Tretton has achieved several industry milestones, including 50 million PS2 units sold in North America, and the recent PS4 launch, which has been deemed highly successful. Said 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. "

As for Layden, he's a 15-year veteran of the PlayStation brand, and is one of the founding members of SNEI. He spent 8 years at SCE Worldwide Studios in London where he directed international software development, and now he's ready to take the next step. Said Layden:

"It's an honor and privilege to join Sony Computer Entertainment America and be a part of the team that is leading the next generation of gaming and entertainment. SCEA is committed to delivering breakthrough gaming experiences that inspire fans and exceed their wildest expectations. As PS4™ shows us every day, there has never been a better time to be part of the PlayStation community and I look forward to working with our retail, development, publishing and network partners to further demonstrate why PlayStation is the best place to play."

SCE President and Group CEO Andrew House added a personal thank you for Tretton, saying he worked with him for "nearly two decades," and he appreciates the "considerable contributions he's made to the SCEA business and PlayStation brand over the years." Yeah, we're all going to miss Jack, especially at E3. Hard to imagine a Sony press conference without Jack!

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
34 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
LimitedVertigo
LimitedVertigo
10 years ago

I loved watching Jack's presentations. Most of these higher-up guys come across as slimy and disconnected from the average gamer. But Jack was always personable and a really likable guy. I wish him nothing but the best and his leaving just shows nothing is forever.

🙁

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
10 years ago

So much shaking up at Sony these days.

Xombito
Xombito
10 years ago

Yeah, but this sort of thing happens all the time with major corporations. It shouldn't be seen as a bad thing. At least not always. Even MS had some shifting around in the Xbox division.

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
10 years ago

Xombito- and look what happened to them.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
10 years ago

Wonder what Jack will do next, retire and play games?

Glad they didn't promote a CFO, that never works out. Playstation 4 life.

LimitedVertigo
LimitedVertigo
10 years ago

"Playstation 4 life"

I want to get that on my lower back.

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
10 years ago

"Playstation 4 Life" tramp stamps ftw!

…wait?

LimitedVertigo
LimitedVertigo
10 years ago

LOL!

Simcoe
Simcoe
10 years ago

I think it was a good time for Jack to leave, he saw through a successful (sales wise) launch of the PS4 in North & South America. I'm sure he just looking for something a bit different with new challenges.

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
10 years ago

As I've already said in an earlier thread…..

All the "Best Of Luck" to Jack Tretton leaving our PlayStation Nation.

Anyway, Tretton's leaving at the top of his game, so I foresee him having zero difficulties in reaching the top right away in whatever his next endeavor may be.

But my hopes for Tretton are that he stays in the gaming industry & either takes over EA, Antivision, or Square Enix, as we all know all 3 of them need a much better guidance at the top than the sorry honcho's they've got now.


Last edited by BikerSaint on 3/6/2014 10:28:08 PM

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
10 years ago

Sons of Playstation tat for you

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
10 years ago

Ha!!!
I got that Anarchy reference, good one!

Danny007
Danny007
10 years ago

Sony's E3 press conference won't be the same without him…

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
10 years ago

Well, at least the new guy is familiar with the PlayStation brand, and has been a part of the development scene. Hopefully that means that he will be able to carry things through. Better than MS's way of going about things where they just bring random people in to replace their higher-ups when they leave. Like the guy from Nokia recently replacing someone from the Xbox division.

Just had a thought. Does anyone else think that this might be related to some kind of internal struggle at SCEWWS about the reported cancellation of SSM's new IP? I can definitely imagine that ruffling some feathers…

LimitedVertigo
LimitedVertigo
10 years ago

Not to the point of of the CEO/President stepping down. I also doubt it's truly cancelled. Pieces of it will be implemented into something else. This kind of thing happens more than we're aware of. Just like how much stuff happened back in the day but was never found out about because of the absence of social media/internet.

Killa Tequilla
Killa Tequilla
10 years ago

I once asked for this man when I had an issue and contacted PlayStation support. I didn't get through to him.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
10 years ago

No way, get out. LOL

DemonNeno
DemonNeno
10 years ago

You have to assume that Jack is burnt out. It's like an artist knowing when to retire his/her instrument.

That said, it's a massive loss for all PS fans. Sad to see him part ways! It'll be interesting to see where this leads him in that future!

Best of luck, Jack! You're the most down to earth CEO ever.

Underdog15
Underdog15
10 years ago

I love how around the net, xbots are saying it's because Sony is going to fail.

They really know nothing about how a company that size achieves profit.

Kiryu
Kiryu
10 years ago

I'm sure Jack did a lot for the PS4.

But now the three musketeers are taking over they are Andrew house,Shuhei Yoshida and Mark Cerny.

OtisFeelgood
OtisFeelgood
10 years ago

I get my PS4 today and Jack leaves? Noooo! Don't leave meh, Jack! >_<

Corvo
Corvo
10 years ago

Playstations doing so good right now, It's obvious he doesn't want to be at the helm if anything goes wrong. The guy is smart and he'll be greatly missed during E3, and I'll never forget Kaz making fun of his ties.

Hope to see him a few more times during presentations at least. As someone said above, he was easy to listen to because he himself talked like a gamer.

___________
___________
10 years ago

but, but, no, not jack!
oh come on his been with the family since the start, hes the face of playstation, hes the face of E3!
so shocked out of all the people there hes the last guy i would of picked to leave, i mean hes always so enthusiastic and clearly freaking loves his job!
so sad, E3s not going to be the same without him.
christ, what the hell is happening to $ony!?
there dropping devisions, and family members like flies!
whos next?
shu?
mark?
hell, kaz!?

Banky A
Banky A
10 years ago

You've got that right sir. He is E3.

Banky A
Banky A
10 years ago

It feels like my own dad is stepping down. Noooo I can't believe this news :'(

//Aside from looking like my step-dad, Jack was definitely a great man to watch. He gave everything his PS presentations an effortless charm and less of a 'typical games for geeks' vibe.

Cheers to you Jack.

Banky A
Banky A
10 years ago

Good to see the new head was a director of software development. He might still be a programmer 😉

kraygen
kraygen
10 years ago

Sorry to see him go, but everyone does eventually, so I wish him good luck.

slugga_status
slugga_status
10 years ago

Damn was looking forward to his one liners this year at E3..those are some big shoes to fill

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
10 years ago

There is a lot of movement around the Sony camp right now.

Underdog15
Underdog15
10 years ago

good to shake things up once and a while!

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
10 years ago

Well, I get that but with the early success of the PS4 and the late success of the PS3, I Don't like to see this type of movement.


Last edited by bigrailer19 on 3/7/2014 11:24:59 AM

Underdog15
Underdog15
10 years ago

That's the best time for a man like Tretton to move, personally. In that level of the business world, moments of success is the time to leverage your current position into the next step in your career. So I understand his reasoning. Definitely a sad moment for Sony, though, I agree. I'm sure they have the right people who were around Jack to ensure momentum continues.

Plus, Sony and all their subsidiaries, and most of their child-companies are paying out dividends regularly, which means long-term shareholders and DRiPers are happy, too. His resume is nice and glowy right now, I bet!

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
10 years ago

Yeah it is a good move for him. Just not sure how it will effect the PS brand.

PlatformGamerNZ
PlatformGamerNZ
10 years ago

it's certain that its an end of a era and it'll be interesting see where playstation is going after this with a change of leadership.

happy gaming =)

34
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x