Tohru Okada, one of the key figures behind PlayStation’s corporate identity, has died. He had also left his mark on Naughty Dog’s Crash Bandicoot franchise.
After Bernie Stolar, founder of Sony Interactive Entertainment America, PlayStation loses musician Tohru Okada. A musician who made the success of the PS1 and the brand as a whole.
PlayStation character Tohru Okada is dead
You may not know his name, but his work, yes. Tohru Okada, a musician who designed the sound that accompanies the PlayStation logo in advertisements, died on February 14, 2023 at the age of 73. A death attributed to heart failure.
With a single note and a robotic voice saying “Play-Station,” Tohru Okada was able to create an iconic sound identity that crept into people’s minds very quickly. Simple and efficient. A sound that is still just as iconic 29 years later and that the manufacturer has never left, despite all the changes within PlayStation.
During his lifetime, Tohru Okada was also part of a Japanese rock band: The Moonriders. A formation that was founded in 1975 with Keiichi Suzuki, the composer of Earthbound on SNES, among others. ” We love you “ said The Moonriders in honor of their former comrade.
His other works
Aside from providing a sound for the PlayStation logo, the musician/composer/arranger was behind the Japanese promotion of Crash Bandicoot when the Naughty Dog studio was at the helm of the franchise.
During his long career, he was also able to approach other cult licenses such as Gundam.
