In the wake of Howard Stringer stepping down as CEO of Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment has announced the promotions of Kaz Hirai and Andrew House.

Effective September 1st, Kaz Hirai, who was a key player in establishing the Sony Playstation in the North American market, will be promoted to Chairman following the retirement of Akira Sato. Andrew House will assume Hirai’s previous position as President and group CEO, and House’s former duties will be taken over by Jim Ryan, current executive VP of SCEE.

“It is both an honour and a privilege to be named as president and group CEO of SCEI,” House said in a statement. “I believe there is huge potential for further growth of our business globally, and I’m looking forward to working with everyone to help achieve this potential by pursuing the creation of brand new user experiences.”

Hirai, who wears many hats at Sony(representative corporate executive officer, executive deputy president, president of the consumer products and services group and the chairman of the board at SCEA), had this to say,

“We are facing new challenges this year, such as the successful launch of PlayStation Vita and further growth of the PS3 platform as well as expansion of non-gaming business.”

“I’m confident that the skills and expertise Andy has gained over two decades working for Sony and SCE group will contribute enormously in leading the PlayStation business and to bring new initiatives in managing the business in the networked era.”

Using cross promotion to introduce the PlayStation brand to new audiences by advertising at major sporting events such as NBA, NFL, NHL, and NASCAR, Hirai reached a broader audience. His strategies and involvement with the company have contributed to substantial profits for Sony. It is important for Sony to make key moves during this period between recovery from the PSN outage and the upcoming launch of the PS Vita. Best of luck to Mr. Hirai, Mr. House, and Mr. Ryan in their new positions.