| Kazuo Hirai | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 22, 1960[1] Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupation | President & CEO, SCEI Sony online |
Kazuo "Kaz" Hirai (平井 一夫 Hirai Kazuo, born December 22, 1960) is the current Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc and online services.[2] He also serves as Executive Vice President, Officer in charge of Networked Products & Service Group of Sony Corporation. He was noted by Entertainment Weekly as one of the most powerful executives in the world.[3]
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Hirai was born in 1960 in Tokyo, Japan. The son of a wealthy banker, Hirai often traveled with his father across the world to California, New York, and Canada and around Japan — a trait which Hirai said noted to be a major factor in his later multi-continental business success.
It was his interest in games that later brought him into the entertainment business. After graduating from the International Christian University in August 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Hirai was hired at CBS/Sony Inc. (now Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.), where he was involved in marketing international music within Japan. His hard work and dedication allowed him to rise through the ranks, eventually placing him once again in New York, where he became head of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan's international business affairs office.
In August 1995, Hirai joined Sony's computer and video game division, Sony Computer Entertainment America.[3] Two years later, in 1997, Hirai was credited on his first completed video game.
Since heading up Sony Computer Entertainment America, Kazuo Hirai has been instrumental in Sony's success. He played a fundamental role in the rise of the PlayStation in the United States, and his methods of cross-promoting of the PlayStation brand took its advertising beyond merely "game" or computer oriented fields. PlayStation advertisements were placed in mainstream sports events such as the NBA, the NFL, the NHL and even NASCAR. This method of marketing has been credited with introducing large numbers of individuals to video games who would ordinarily have not considered purchasing a console.
With the release of the PlayStation 2 in 2000, Kazuo continued his success, utilizing second-party franchises such as Jak and Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs series of games. Under his leadership, SCEA continually managed to retain high profits throughout the sixth generation era.
On July 3, 2006, Sony Computer Entertainment announced that Hirai had been made a vice president of its corporate executive group on July 1, 2006.[4]
On November 30, 2006, just under two weeks after the launch of PlayStation 3, Hirai replaced Ken Kutaragi as President of Sony Computer Entertainment. While maintaining his positions at SCEA, Hirai also became chief operating officer of SCEI. Kutaragi himself was promoted to chairman of SCEI, and remained chief executive officer of the group.[5]
On April 26, 2007 It was announced that Hirai will be promoted to Chairman and Group CEO of SCEI, replacing Ken Kutaragi who would retire and instead take up the role of Honorary Chairman.[6][7][8][9]
Kazuo "Kaz" Hirai (Japanese: 平井一夫 Hirai Kazuo, born 1964) is the current President and Group Chief Operating Officer of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. He was ranked by Entertainment Weekly as one of the most powerful executives in the entertainment industry.
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