PlayStation boss Jim Ryan has announced he will be stepping down in March 2024 after nearly 30 years with the company.

He took over as CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) in February 2019, having joined Sony a few months before the launch of the first PlayStation gaming console in 1994.

Ryan said he took the decision to leave over issues he had living in Europe while working in North America.

“I’ve relished the opportunity to have a job I love in a very special company, working with great people and incredible partners. But I’ve found it increasingly difficult to reconcile living in Europe and working in North America,” he said in a statement. “‘I will leave having been privileged to work on products that have touched millions of lives across the world; PlayStation will always be part of my life, and I feel more optimistic than ever about the future of SIE. I want to thank Yoshida-san [Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida] for placing so much trust in me and being an incredibly sensitive and supportive leader.”

Sony’s chief operating officer Hiroki Totoki will take over as interim CEO following Ryan’s departure.

“Jim Ryan has been an inspirational leader throughout his entire period with us, but never more so than in overseeing the launch of PlayStation 5 in the midst of the global Covid pandemic,” said Yoshida. “That extraordinary achievement made by the entire SIE team has been steadily built on and PlayStation 5 is on track to become SIE’s most successful console yet.”