Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that Guerilla Games managing director and co-founder Hermen Hulst will take over as the new head of PlayStation’s Worldwide Studios.
Hermen Hulst starts his new position immediately, and he’ll oversee all of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s game development from all 14 studios. The announcement was made not long after the departure of the previous boss Shawn Layden in September.
PlayStation CEO and President Jim Ryan spoke to GamesIndustry.biz about what Hulst brings tot he table and how he’ll help the company move into the next generation:
Jim Ryan: “Hermen is a European who will be taking one of the major offices at PlayStation. I think everybody in Europe should be thrilled and happy and proud that that is happening.”
“Hermen is one of the most effective and well-respected leaders in the video game industry. He is a passionate advocate for the teams he leads and understands how to empower creative talent to build great experiences. I have no doubt Hermen can lead our teams to deliver compelling and diverse experiences at a steady cadence.”
Here’s a quote from Hermen Hulst, who’ll be replaced by Angie Smets, Jan-Bart van Beek and Michiel van der Leeuw as joint studio heads at Guerilla:
Hermen Hulst: “I have worked closely with PlayStation and the entire Worldwide Studios family since 2001,and I have the utmost respect and admiration for the creative talent and ambitious ideas within the network of studios across the US, Europe, and Japan.”
Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida is also leaving his position to lead a new initiative to help grow and nurture external and smaller independent studios that are creating “new and unexpected experiences.” Jim Ryan had more to share on that:
Jim Ryan: “Everybody knows just how passionate Shu is about independent games — they are lifeblood of the industry, making our content portfolio so special for our gamers. These wildly creative experiences deserve focus, and a champion like Shu at PlayStation who will ensure the entire SIE organization works together to better engage with independent developers through a culture of supporting and celebrating their contributions to PlayStation platforms.”
