'It Was Like a Dream Job' 6u19g PlayStation Veteran Shuhei Yoshida to Leave Sony After 31 Years

"PlayStation is in really good hands. I thought, okay, this is my time,” Yoshida said. 193p2s

Updated: 27 November 2024 14:25 IST

'It Was Like a Dream Job': PlayStation Veteran Shuhei Yoshida to Leave Sony After 31 Years

Photo Credit: Sony 1q2zl

Shuhei Yoshida currently heads the independent developer initiative at Sony

Highlights

Shuhei Yoshida served as PlayStation Studios president till 2019
The executive ed Sony when it was working on the first PlayStation
Yoshida will retire from SIE on January 15, 2025

ment

Sony executive, who currently heads the independent developer initiative at the company, will depart SIE on January 15, 2025. Yoshida said it was time for him to move on after over three decades at Sony in various roles. The executive ed the Japanese firm when it was still developing the first PlayStation console in 1993 and later served as president of PlayStation Studios until 2019.

Sony's Shuhei Yoshida Announces Retirement 5v5d4g

In an interview on the PlayStation Blog Tuesday, Yoshida said he would leave the company next year. “Yes, I have an announcement to make. I'm leaving Sony Interactive Entertainment on January 15 2025… it's like announcing the launch date of a new game, [something] I haven't done for a long time,” he said.

The executive said when he completed 30 years at Sony, he began thinking it was time for him to move on. Yoshida felt that Sony was in a good position and added that he was excited for the future of PlayStation. “You know, the company's been doing great. I love PS5, I love the games that are coming out on this platform. And we have new generations of management who I respect and ire,” he said. “So you know, PlayStation is in really good hands. I thought, okay, this is my time.”

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Yoshida ed Sony in 1993 when the company was developing the first PlayStation console. The executive reminisced about the early days of PlayStation, when it was just a department at Sony. The company was working to bring 3D graphics and CD-ROM to its console, while keeping the cost of manufacturing low, Yoshida said in the interaction.

“However, we were not known in the video game industry. And there were other electronics companies, big companies that tried to enter the video game industry and, you know, didn't do well. So at the beginning before the launch of PlayStation, I think we were not taken very seriously from the industry, to be honest,” he said.

The industry veteran later became president of PlayStation Studios in 2008, before stepping down to head the new indies initiative at Sony, where he worked with and ed external independent game developers. In the interview, Yoshida called his current role a “dream job”.

“...when I went to events like E3 or Gamescom, I always went to the indie game area. And I found games that I liked, and oftentimes the developer was there showcasing it. So I'd take a photo with the developer, trying to help promote these games,” he said. “That's what I was doing almost as a hobby when I was managing PlayStation Studios. So when I got this job where I could spend 100% of my time helping indies, it was like a dream job.”

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