Guerrilla head Hermen Hulst will lead Sony’s Worldwide Studios.
Sony Interactive Entertainment announced today that Hermen Hulst, co-founder and managing director of the studio behind the Killzone series and Horizon Zero Dawn, will now oversee all of Sony’s 14 internal studios. That group includes industry heavy-hitters like Naughty Dog, Santa Monica Studios and the recently acquired Insomniac.
Who is Hermen Hulst?
“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,” said Jim Ryan, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. “Worldwide Studios is a critical part of the future success of the company, and we must deliver on the promise we have made to gamers to create imaginative and exciting content that is truly unique to PlayStation. I have no doubt Hermen can lead our teams to deliver compelling and diverse experiences at a steady cadence.”
Additionally, Kojima Productions used Guerrilla’s proprietary Decima engine to build the upcoming Death Stranding.
So, where does that leave Shuhei Yoshida, who previously occupied the role? Apparently, Yoshida has shifted into a new position where he will work as “head of a newly formed initiative that will focus on nurturing external independent creators.”
“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,” said Ryan.
“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.”
This shake-up comes roughly one month after Shawn Layden, then Worldwide Studios chairman, mysteriously departed Sony after more than 30 years at the company. These changes are part of a broader internal reshuffling that Sony appears to be undergoing in the lead-up to the release of its next-generation console, the PlayStation 5, next year.
