Sony has announced a management reshuffling in its games business, with two of its top executives swapping jobs.
Jim Ryan, a longtime PlayStation executive who most recently served as deputy president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, will become the division's CEO on April 1, Sony said Monday. Ryan will replace John Kodera, who will become the deputy president -- Ryan's former role at the Japanese electronics and entertainment giant.
Kodera's new position will allow him to "dedicate his focus on creating innovative user experiences and further enhancing the network area," Sony said in a statement.
The new management structure comes less than two weeks after Sony announced disappointing earnings for its games division, which accounts for about one-third of the company's total revenue. Operating income in the division fell 14 percent in the most recent quarter due to slower sales of the PlayStation 4 game console during the holiday shopping season.
"This industry is relentlessly fast-moving, and to remain the market leader, we must constantly evolve ourselves with a sense of urgency," Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said in a statement. "Based on extensive discussions with John, I have decided to change the management structure of SIE to ensure sustainable evolution of the PlayStation platform and further growth of the network area."
Ryan, who has worked in Sony's games division for a quarter of a century, will report directly to Yoshida.