Ken Kutaragi is "Transitioned" into Retirement

[Aodh]

http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/pdf/070426e.pdf

SCEI and Sony announce Executive Management Transition
at Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

TOKYO, JAPAN, April 26, 2007 – Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) and Sony Corporation (Sony) have jointly announced today that Ken Kutaragi, Representative Director, Chairman and Group CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., will retire from his executive position at SCEI effective June 19, 2007, when SCEI’s annual shareholders’ meeting will take place. Mr. Kutaragi will pass on the torch to the next generation, stepping back from his executive management responsibility of the company to serve as Honorary Chairman of SCEI. With his deep and instinctive insight into future technology, Mr. Kutaragi will also continue to support Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman and CEO, Sony Corporation, as senior technology advisor.

Concurrently, Kazuo Hirai, currently President and Group COO, SCEI, will be promoted to President and Group CEO, continuing his responsibility as the leader of the PlayStation® business worldwide.

Mr. Kutaragi, well known as the “Father of PlayStation”, invented and launched the original PlayStation in 1994 and its successor, PlayStation 2, in 2000. Since the introduction of PlayStation and subsequently PlayStation 2, these platforms opened up a vast market of computer entertainment. The two platforms combined now have an installed base of more than 200 million units in homes around the world, with more than 2 billion units of PlayStation and PlayStation 2 software titles shipped worldwide. The third generation of the company’s home computer entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3, launched in November 2006 in Japan and North America and in March 2007 in Europe, will continue to revolutionize the computer entertainment experience with its immense computational power connected to the network.

After completing the launch of PLAYSTATION 3 worldwide, Mr. Kutaragi has decided to pursue his dreams beyond PlayStation and to accelerate his network vision.

“I am happy to graduate from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. after introducing four platforms to the PlayStation family,” said Ken Kutaragi, Chairman and Group CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “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.”

“Ken Kutaragi is a rare combination of a powerful visionary and entrepreneur in one figure,” said Howard Stringer, Chairman and CEO, Sony Corporation. “Not only has he created a multi-billion dollar business for the Sony Group, he has brought the industry into a new dimension. Sony has benefited tremendously from his vision, his 2/2
creative genius, and from the very strong team he assembled and nurtured. As Ken moves forward to pursue new opportunities, we will encourage and support him. My support also goes to Kazuo Hirai, who is a terrific executive with a proven track record with PlayStation business in the US. I am confident that he will inspire and lead SCEI to new heights.”

I think after this move, it's pretty clear he was politely fired.

[Bartylby]

lol i was waiting for something like this. ps3 is/has beeen a laughing stock for quite some time now

[Kenai]

This would probably get more attention in the console war topic.

Either way, I would have been blind in the brain to not see it coming. I dunno who Kazuo Hirai is though, so I can't tell what's gonna happen. I'll be surprised if he could do much worse though.

[Correction]

kazuo hirai is the guy they picked to give the PS3 announcements. If you kept up with ytmnd/4chan memes he was slapped with 'ridge racer...riiiiiiidge racer!!' and was endlessly assailed for the 'The Playstation 3 will sell for 599 American dollars.' quote.

[Semitry]

In January, Allard and the rest of the Xbox senior executives gathered to write brief statements on what motivates them to come to work every morning. The mission: to inspire the group's rank and file. "Most people put down flowery, make-the-world-a-better-place, Miss America types of things," Allard says. "I wrote: What gets me out of bed and into the office every day is the thought of Ken Kutaragi's resignation letter, framed, hanging next to my desk."

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1...box&topic_set=

[GRT]

wow, blast from the past from 5 months ago

glad to see how the internet speeds up spreading of news :wink:

[Fusional]

this has been in the works for some time now. if i'm not mistaken, Kaz Hirai (sp?) took over kutaragi's position in practice quite some time ago, but kutaragi kept the title. probably some japanese honorbound shit where they were tired of kutaragi saying stupid shit, but didn't want to "dishonor" him etc etc.

lol i was waiting for something like this. ps3 is/has beeen a laughing stock for quite some time now

you've been watching too much G4. remind me how many great games 360 had its first year...?

[Sonomaa]

this has been in the works for some time now. if i'm not mistaken, Kaz Hirai (sp?) took over kutaragi's position in practice quite some time ago, but kutaragi kept the title. probably some japanese honorbound shit where they were tired of kutaragi saying stupid shit, but didn't want to "dishonor" him etc etc.

lol i was waiting for something like this. ps3 is/has beeen a laughing stock for quite some time now

you've been watching too much G4. remind me how many great games 360 had its first year...?

fusional you are forbidden so speak in this thread any further because your drippy console vag is annoying.

[Fusional]

objectivity = dripping console vagina?

i own a 360. i don't own a ps3. (and won't until the next metal gear)

why? because 360 has gears of war. right now ps3 has nothing. but apparently you cats only look at short term, you see 360 has something *now* and ps3 doesn't, and rather than looking at it from the objective perspective of "hay, it took 360 a year or more to get anything worthwhile, maybe we should give ps3 the same consideration" you twats just cry about how sucky the ps3 is *now*

then again, take away gears of war and how great is 360 now? if 360 didn't have GoW i'd be playing Wii.

mod or not, i don't give a fuck. you simply aren't very sharp.

(and the g4 comment is in obvious regard to all the hype media puts on this or that console, which is obviously fueled by commercialism. microsoft pays people to talk good about them and bad about the competition, and if the competition doesn't pay up just the same, media will do just that. after the success of playstation and ps2 kutaragi specifically, not sony overall, didn't feel like sony needed to submit to the media and overall was a haughty, insipid asshole.

but i mean, i'm only saying this because i apparently am a sony fanboy, rather than just liking videogames and not hypocritically having my head up microsoft's ass)

[aurik]

bye

[Fusional]

speaking of dripping vaginas, you mods sure do get sore when people argue better than you

[aurik]

bye

[Guyverarmor]

speaking of dripping vaginas, you mods sure do get sore when people argue better than you

Wait for It... Wait for It....

[Septimus]

speaking of dripping vaginas, you mods sure do get sore when people argue better than you

Be glad that I am not an admin because I would ban people for merely having a dissenting opinion, no one would have to worry about arguments.

P.S. The admins do not kick people when they have better debate skills, it is when they come in with a chip on their shoulders begging to be knocked off.

[Hitoshura]

I don't get how you think you are arguing better, you are just pointing things out that we already know. These console war arguments get so tedious, asinine, and redundant in each thread. Pretty sure OP didn't even mean for that either.

[Elcura]

some shit

Wow.

Bye bye.

[Fusional]

i don't have a chip on my shoulder. i just delight in reminding people that having mod status doesn't make them infallible or untouchable in the hallowed halls of logic. (while so many others would deign to fellate mods like leghumping cowards)

might doesn't make right. just ask pres. bush

i don't have a vendetta against anyone. just saying that i don't care what level of power you hold... if you're wrong, i'm going to disagree with you. and if you're REALLY wrong, i'm going to disagree with you strongly.

I don't get how you think you are arguing better, you are just pointing things out that we already know. These console war arguments get so tedious, asinine, and redundant in each thread. Pretty sure OP didn't even mean for that either.

that's the whole point. i'm reminding everyone that it's too early to call it either way, and explaining why it's hilarious anyone would say i bleed for one console over another.

[Boyiee]

retardation at its finest.

[Scythiroth]

This isn't a topic for arguing this.

And you talking shit about mods is funny because everytime I see someone get banned from this forum it starts off this way. >.>

[Elcura]

i don't have a chip on my shoulder. i just delight in reminding people that having mod status doesn't make them infallible or untouchable in the hallowed halls of logic. (while so many others would deign to fellate mods like leghumping cowards)

might doesn't make right. just ask pres. bush

i don't have a vendetta against anyone. just saying that i don't care what level of power you hold... if you're wrong, i'm going to disagree with you. and if you're REALLY wrong, i'm going to disagree with you strongly.

I don't get how you think you are arguing better, you are just pointing things out that we already know. These console war arguments get so tedious, asinine, and redundant in each thread. Pretty sure OP didn't even mean for that either.

that's the whole point. i'm reminding everyone that it's too early to call it either way, and explaining why it's hilarious anyone would say i bleed for one console over another.

You haven't been here long enough to see the sheer amount of console topics we've had. Hell we even made a sticky for that kind of shit because we saw it ssssooooooooooooo much.

Funniest thing is you "disagreed" with someone who didn't even disagree with you, they just told you to shut up.