Sony is tipped t to get a new boss with UK expat, Sir Howard Stringer, set to step down from the struggling Japanese consumer electronics company.His successor is tipped to be Kazuo Hirai, the head of its PlayStation game business who speaks both English and Japanese.

Recently Sony said that they plan to merge their consumer electronics business with their Playstation game business, which in Australia could see Sony Computer Entertainment merged with the mainstream Sony Consumer Electronics operation which recently sacked several employees due to poor sales and falling revenues.

The Wall Street Journal said that by handing over the reins of Sony’s two highest-profile businesses, the company is elevating Mr. Hirai, 50 years old, and a long-time executive who has played a major role in building the PlayStation business from scratch since the early 1990s, to a position that would make him the front-runner to eventually succeed Mr. Stringer.

Mr. Stringer himself, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, confirmed the intent behind Mr. Hirai’s promotion. “He is the leading candidate,” said Mr. Stringer, who announced he is staying on as CEO for the foreseeable future. “It’s because of his consistency and a continuation of the convergence strategy.”