Sony confirms departure of veteran PlayStation producer Connie Booth

Connie Booth, current SVP of PlayStation's internal production team, is reportedly no longer working at Sony Interactive Entertainment. News of her departure was revealed by God of War designer David Jaffe, who claimed Booth's 27-year tenure at the developer was over. 

"She is no longer at Sony," Jaffe alleged in his video. "I don’t have a lot of details, I don’t know if she was fired, or laid off. [...] I’ve heard it from four people, two in and two out of Sony.” He added that she and the team under her were "also walked out of the building."

At time of writing, neither Booth or Sony have confirmed her departure. If true, it would mark the third high-profile exit from PlayStation in recent months: then-SIE head Jim Ryan announced his retirement in late September, and Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells left in mid-July. 

Booth's PlayStation history

Booth first joined Sony in 1989, and SIE in 1995 as a senior producer. As she rose up the ranks over the years, she was involved in production on nearly all of PlayStation's major franchises, including Ratchet & Clank, Spider-Man, The Last of Us, Uncharted, and more. 

In 2020, she joined the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame for being a "leading voice and advocate for countless PlayStation franchises as well as nurturing new talent in the industry. 

Per MobyGames, her last credited title as internal production head was 2021's Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. 2022's God of War Ragnarok lists her under the "special thanks" section. 

Jaffe further claimed that in Booth's place will be ex-Guerrilla Games head Angie Smets would be heading up internal production going forward. Smets worked at the Horizon studio for 20 years before departing in April to become PlayStation Studios' development strategy head. 

Notably, Smets would be the second Guerrilla staffer to jump ship for a key PlayStation role. In 2019, co-founder/managing director Hermen Hulst left the studio to become the new head of SIE Worldwide Studios.

Game Developer has reached out to Sony regarding Jaffe's claims, and will update when a response is given. 

Update: In a statement provided to Axios' Stephen Totilo, Sony confirmed Booth's departure from SIE. The developer commended her for "helping drive the success PlayStation Studios is experiencing today and her passion in fostering an environment where a team's creative vision could fully flourish has left a positive impact on many game developers."

"We're thankful for Connie's numerous contributions to the company and wish her the best in future endeavors," Sony continued. 

Totilo later added that studios under Booth's oversight will be divided up against various PlayStation Studios staff. Smets has been tapped to work with Ghost of Tsushima developer Sucker Punch, Scott Rhode with Insomniac Games, and so on.