Sony's head of independent development at PlayStation and the console maker's longtime head of game development, Shuhei Yoshida, is leaving the company after more than three decades. He helped produce some of the PlayStation's first hits before moving on to lead the platform's powerful first-party studios across multiple console generations.
“Yes, I have an announcement to make,” the Sony veteran said during an interview with the PlayStation Blog on Tuesday. “I'm leaving Sony Interactive Entertainment on January 15, 2025…that's like announcing the release date of a new game. [something] I haven't done that for a long time [laughs]The industry veteran said that even though he will no longer be at Sony, he still plans to work on games in some capacity in the future.
During the interview, Yoshida recounted what it was like in the early days of the PS1 era and what it was like convincing publishers and studios to take the risk of developing games for Sony's first console. While he was an executive producer on early games like CBandicoot Rash: Warped And The Legend of the DragoonHe later took on a leadership role throughout the group, eventually becoming president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios.
He told the PlayStation podcast TripThe 2012 release on PS3 as a download-only indie hit that later won Game of the Year was a career highlight. “But this game…[won] Game of the Year against all these AAA titles, I believe for the first time in the industry… Creator Jenova Chen gave a talk at the summit and talked about a letter he received from a girl who had lost her father, and she thought about her father and she was able to move on with her life,” Yoshida said. “The entire audience stood up and the whole room was filled with joy and the incredible feeling that this little game could have such a big impact on people’s lives.”
The manager was also known for his own development experience and sense of design. At a crucial moment during the documentary about the making of 2018 God of warYoshida's harsh criticism of a build of the game under development becomes the defining moment for the now acclaimed reboot. He ultimately stepped down as head of Worldwide Studios in 2019. At this point, Guerrilla Games' studio head at the time, Hermen Hulst, took over this role as part of a PlayStation leadership reshuffle. Hulst is now co-CEO of PlayStation alongside Hideaki Nishino.
Yoshida's announcement marks PlayStation's second major departure in less than a year, following the retirement of former Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan last spring. This will also leave the console maker without one of its most well-known executives and most visible faces in the community, who has long been popular with fans. He is perhaps best known for his role in the infamous 22-second E3 2013 clip It demonstrates how games will be shared on the PS4, a stunt that heralded Sony's current dominance in high-end consoles.
“I've been with PlayStation since the beginning and this is my 31st year with PlayStation,” he said. “And when I was 30, I thought, hmm, it might be time for me to move on. You know, the company is doing great. I love PS5, I love the games that come out on this platform. And we have new generations of leaders that I respect and admire. And I'm so excited about the future of PlayStation. So you know PlayStation is in really good hands. I thought, okay, this is my time.”
Yoshida's announcement comes on the eve of PlayStation's 30th anniversary on December 3rd. In addition to releasing a retro range of PS5 consoles and accessories to celebrate, fans are also wondering whether Sony might announce further reveals or even a mini-showcase before the year is over.
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