David Reeves leaves Sony Europe

In terms of European video game figureheads, few people can match up to David Reeves, who was not only president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, but also deputy president of Sony Computer Entertainment itself. Since joining Sony Computer Entertainment in 1995, Reeves helped launch the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation 3, and since becoming president and CEO in 2005, he has overseen PlayStation activity in nearly 100 countries. Today, Sony announced that Reeves' 14-year run had come to an end with his retirement, with Sony's chief marketing officer Andrew House taking over the reins in Europe.

During his time at SCEE, Reeves had to deliver plenty of bad news to European gamers, although he never shied away from expressing his opinions. He believed that the long wait for the PS3 to come to Europe was "beneficial," and he claimed that the console would sell five million units "even [if] it didn't have games." Sony Computer Entertainment President and Group CEO Kazuo Hirai paid tribute to Reeves' abilities, stating that, "David's contribution in firmly establishing the PlayStation brand and expanding the business in Europe/PAL territories in his 14-year tenure at SCEE is immeasurable."

Reeves' replacement at SCEE comes in the form of Andrew House, Sony's most senior marketing executive. House is another Sony veteran, having joined the company in Japan back in 1990, then moving to Sony Computer Entertainment in April 1995 to work in marketing and communications. His success at the division saw him heading up third-party relations and developer support for Sony Computer Entertainment America, before moving back to Sony central in 2005.

David Reeves' last day at Sony will be April 30, and he parts ways with this ominous statement: "I am going to spend my time now trying to repay society for all I have taken from it. If your children are having physics lessons at the local school or wondering why their ski instructor is very elderly, your car mechanic has a bad back, or the social worker keeps bringing you PSP games, then it could just be me!"