Jack Tretton Steps Down as SCEA President and CEO

Jack Tretton will step down from his position as Sony Computer Entertainment America's president and chief executive offer as of March 31st, 2014, the company announced today. The decision was a mutual agreement between Tretton and SCEA.

Tretton has been part of SCEA since the company's inception in 1995, seeing the company through the release of all of its PlayStation consoles and growing the PlayStation business in Canada and Latin America.

"Working at SCEA for the past 19 years has been the most rewarding experience of my career," said Tretton in the press release. "Although 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."

Tretton will be replaced by Shawn Layden, current Executive Vice President and COO of Sony Network Entertainment International, on April 1st, 2014. Layden is a 15 year veteran who was one of the founders of Sony Network Entertainment International in 2010. Before that, he was President of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan and directed international software development at SCE Worldwide Studios for eight years.

"It's an honor and privilege to join Sony Computer Entertainment America and be a part of the team that is leading the next generation of gaming and entertainment," said Layden in the press release. "SCEA is committed to delivering breakthrough gaming experiences that inspire fans and exceed their wildest expectations. As PS4™ shows us every day, there has never been a better time to be part of the PlayStation community and I look forward to working with our retail, development, publishing and network partners to further demonstrate why PlayStation is the best place to play."

"I've worked with Jack for nearly two decades and I want to personally thank him for his leadership and the considerable contributions he's made to the SCEA business and PlayStation brand over the years. I wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors," said Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment. "I also want to welcome Shawn to the Sony Computer Entertainment America team. I have the utmost confidence in Shawn's leadership capabilities, and his deep knowledge of the gaming industry and commitment to gamers, will help keep PlayStation at the forefront of entertainment and innovative gameplay."