Father of PlayStation retires

By Alex Villafania, hackenslash Reporter
INQUIRER.net

TWELVE years after he made the PlayStation the world’s most popular home game console, Sony Computer Entertainment chairman Ken Kutaragi has announced that he is retiring from the company officially on June 19.

Kutaragi made the announcement in a joint statement with Sony last Thursday, wherein he said he has been considering the move for some time.

Kutaragi, however, will take up the role of honorary chairman for SCE. He will be replaced by SCE president and chief operating officer Kaz Hirai, who will be promoted to SCE president and chief executive officer.

“I am happy to graduate from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. after introducing four platforms to the PlayStation family. 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. I’m looking forward to building on this vision in my next endeavors,” Kutaragi said in his statement.

Kutaragi becomes the first top executive under the Japanese parent firm Sony to leave since the start of a major corporate reshuffling initiated by Sony Corp. CEO Howard Stringer, who himself is the first non-Japanese to take the post.

Despite being credited for heading the development of all three PlayStation series, his last attempt at the newly-launched PS3 is said to have made a negative impact on the company, particularly due to its high price and lack of third-party support.

Sony’s failure to deliver enough units during launch date in the extremely critical holiday period last year also caused many potential owners to buy the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii.

Editor’s Note: Photo courtesy of Agence France-Presse.

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