This week?s PS5 showcase and subsequent interviews have shown that Jim Ryan is not a good face for PlayStation. Look, I?ve got nothing against him. I?m sure he?s a nice enough dude, and he?s clearly got some level of business acumen for the PlayStation brand to be President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. The guy successfully spearheaded the EU PlayStation market?s commanding presence before his promotion, after all. I?m not saying Ryan shouldn?t be in his position, but he?s not the right mouthpiece for Sony and PlayStation right now. He?s a businessman, first and foremost, and he needs to step out of the spotlight, embrace his team?s strengths, and let other more relatable PlayStation executives do the talking.
PlayStation is at its best when it?s focusing on the games and gamers. Fans don?t want a company that talks at them. They want someone who will converse with them; a relatable face and voice that makes them feel like the brand is a peer. When people like Shawn Layden, Adam Boyes, Shuhei Yoshida, and Gio Corsi took the stage, there was this sense of comfort and relatability. They each had a way of speaking?in their own individual ways?that relayed their own excitement for video games and the PlayStation brand, connecting with the players on a level that PlayStation?s executive team just isn?t achieving right now. These were people who were excited about games! They played games! PlayStation was them, and they were us.
PB = PB || ...