One of the instrumental figures in helping open up a can of whoop-butt during the Mattrick fumble of the Xbox brand in 2013, will be stepping down from his position at the end of the month.
The president of Sony Computer Entertainment America, Jack Tretton, has announced his departure from the company. The 19-year Sony veteran gave a warm goodbye to the gaming community as he preps to move onward from Sony after the PlayStation brand garnered such a huge boost in positive perception and hype coming off a stellar 2013.
As noted on GamesIndustry.biz, Tretton will be replaced by the executive vice president and chief operating officer Sony Network Entertainment International, Shawn Layden.
Tretton stated that...
“...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."
The PlayStation brand is probably at its strongest ever; Sony has multiple home consoles penetrating the entertainment market at this very moment and a strongest presence in the portable and online space with the PlayStation Vita and Sony Online Entertainment. It's definitely odd that Tretton – of all times – chose this moment to part ways with Sony, especially when he's attached to the branch that happens to be one of Sony's most profitable.
Tretton further addressed the PlayStation universe on the official PlayStation blog, writing succinctly and passionately about his time at SCEA, stating...
“It is with mixed feelings that I inform you that I will be stepping down as President and CEO of SCEA effective March 31, 2014. This is a result of a mutual agreement with SCEA, and I leave knowing that the PlayStation brand has never been stronger, PlayStation 4 momentum continues to accelerate, and the future will only get brighter for our gamers.“I want to thank you for constantly pushing PlayStation to deliver breakthrough gaming and entertainment experiences, and to never settle for “good enough.” The embodiment of this commitment can be found in the PS4, which has quickly become the #1 next-gen console worldwide…thanks to you.”
Well, I guess we'll find out exactly how well this Shawn Laydon will fare in the place of Tretton when he takes over on March 31st.
It was wise to wait for all the positive sales jumps to take place with the PS4 before having Tretton step down to avoid the negative marketing feeling that a lot of gamers had when Don Mattrick upchucked and jumped ship from the Xbox brand to Zynga during a crucial time in which Microsoft was desperately trying to market the Xbox One to as many gamers as possible.
Well, let's hope things work out for both Tretton and SCEA with this move. Sony can't afford to lose momentum with the PS4 just yet... not with Mario Kart 8 looming on May 30th for the Wii U.
(Main image courtesy of Attack of the Fanboy)
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