Masayasu Ito, Architect of the PS4 and PS5, Leaves SIE

Masayasu Ito, the engineer that played a key role in creating the hardware behind the PlayStation 4, PS4 Pro, and PS5, is leaving Sony. A report in Bloomberg, followed by an announcement on the Japanese corporate site, confirmed Ito’s departure. According to Sony, the 60-year-old Ito is retiring after a career at Sony lasting more than 35 years. Ito leaves Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) on October 1st, 2022. [Thanks, GamesIndustry.biz!].

Masayasu Ito joined Sony in 1986, at first working on in-car audio equipment. He moved to the console division in 2000, the same year as the launch of the PlayStation 2. There he worked on accessories for the PS2. As part of the PlayStation group, he later led engineering for the PlayStation 4, the mid-generation upgraded PS4 Pro, and the PlayStation 5. Readers of the PS Blog may remember his signature on the post accompanying the first teardown of the PS5 hardware.

Upon his departure from Sony Interactive Entertainment, Masayasu Ito will be replaced by Lin Tao, SIE’s current Senior Vice President of Finance, Corporate Development, and Strategy. Though he’s retiring from SIE, Ito will remain at Sony Group proper for a time. Ito will have an assignment in the Mobility division, and continue to support SIE’s Platform Experience Group in an “Executive Adviser” capacity until March 2023.