It is the end of an era for PlayStation as creator of all three generations of the gaming console, Ken Kutaragi, has announced his retirement from head of Sony Computer Entertainment.
Kutaragi, who had worked with Sony for 32 years, said “It has been an exciting experience to change the world of computer entertainment by marrying cutting-edge technologies with creative minds from all over the world.”
However, he is not planning to retire just yet, adding “I’m looking forward to building on this vision in my next endeavours.”
After his retirement in June, he will take on the title of honorary chairman and senior technology adviser to Sony CEO, Howard Stringer.
Stringer, the first-ever foreign-born CEO of a large Japanese electronics organisation, had already taken control of the day-to-day running of Sony Computer Entertainment since last autumn.
This retirement is seen by some industry analysts as an indicator of change within the company in response to lower-than-expected PS3 sales in a market where consoles such as the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360 are considerably less expensive.
It also comes at a time when Stringer is moving Sony’s focus from hardware to what he called its “quiet software revolution”, with the introduction today of online video sharing service EyeVio.
By Marie Boran
