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Shu Yoshida: "PlayStation 4 is doing so well - we don't forget why we're here now"

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SharpX68K

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https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/...oing-so-well-we-dont-forget-why-were-here-now

Shu Yoshida reflects on 25 years at PlayStation, and the difficulty of hardware transitions.

This week at Develop in Brighton, he took to the stage with the dashingly handsome Edge editor Nathan Brown to talk through his 25 years at the company, and some of the difficulties faced in the various hardware transitions PlayStation has seen over the years.
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Yoshida started his tenure at PlayStation in February 1993, working as part of the small team led by Ken Kutaragi that was behind the original hardware. "[At the time there was a] Silicon Graphics workstation, which was around $100k - and Ken said he's making a machine of that power that'll be available for less than $500," Yoshida recounted onstage. At first Yoshida didn't believe that was possible, but when someone told him Kutaragi wasn't full of hot air he decided to sign up to the project.
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Those early years saw Yoshida and those around him sign some deals that would be pivotal in the success of the PlayStation - and in sowing the seeds for future generations - as Square was convinced to move away from Nintendo and bring Final Fantasy 7 to Sony, with Enix soon following suit with the Dragon Quest series.
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And amidst that rabble of games there was a new adventure game from Fumito Ueda and Team Ico, which found itself suffering from technical difficulties on the original PlayStation. "I moved development from PS1 to PS2," Yoshida recalled of the project that would become Ico. "Sounds familiar, right?"
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"Ken [Kutaragi] was such a brilliant engineer - the team that worked for Ken was so motivated, he was a great motivator. Maybe he was using video games as a stepping stone to realise his vision and dreams - he wanted to become the next Intel or something.
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He always approached developing game systems, up to PS3 - they work on a system just by themselves. And we weren't given access until it was done. He had trust with the developers - whatever he made, the top developers would be able to work on them and understand them. He didn't see the need to involve game developers in the design of the system - that's how the PS3 was made. And you know how successful it was."
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Yoshida headed back to Japan, helping the studios work more closely together as Mark Cerny worked on the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 projects - and in the latter example, the shift towards working with developers and soothing development has helped make it a success, its sales ontrack to eclipse the PlayStation 3 this year.
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It marks the continuation of a cycle that's familiar from other hardware manufacturers, with Nintendo stumbling after the success of the Wii with the Wii U, and Microsoft also fumbling the follow-up to the Xbox 360 with the troubled launch of the Xbox One. So what can Sony take onboard as it prepares for another hardware transition in the not-too-distant future?
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Full article here

Edit: Guys, can we please keep this about hardware transitions and not yuk up the thread with drive-by comments about crossplay?

I respect Shu Yoshida a great deal, so lets keep this positive.
 
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LewieP

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User Warned: Off-topic drive-by post.
"For the players"

"What about the players that want cross play?"

"No not those players, the other ones".
 
Arklite

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So JRPGs help cement the brand but these days they feel so limited. Wish they'd help change that with some of their old first party.
 
Midas

Midas

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It must've been super interesting working with PSX. I read the book about it, but I really didn't feel it, maybe it's just poorly written or badly translated.
 
Powerofthecloud

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"PlayStation 4 is doing so well - we don't forget why we're here now"

Does not seem like it. And if they do they aren't acting on it.
 
v_iHuGi

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Yeah Ps4 is unstoppable, Ps5 just needs to keep the trend with high end exclusives and all the multi platforms hitters arriving.
 
InquisitorAles

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Weird interview, if I didn't miss anything they've mentioned crossplay at the end of the article but didn't actually asked this question to Shu, why?
 
Azure Wanderer

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How cute. I find incredible that someone can last 30 years on a company, but that's fantastic. He probably has an enormous amount of knowledge. I'm jealous but also glad he's the head of the division.
LewieP said:
"For the players"

"What about the players that want cross play?"

"No not those players, the other ones".
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Oh come on. Nobody cares.
 
OP
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SharpX68K

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Monteil

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I really need to get a Ps4 this year. The last console I've used was the Ps2. I think it's time to upgrade!
 
Egida

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Keep the price at 399 and the excellent first party support and we'll keep on being friends.
 

FormatCompatible

One Winged Slayer
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LightEntite said:
sigh...here we go
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Salty Rice said:
Jesus christ one thread without this bullshit.
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I mean, it is in the article.

Sony has come under fire recently for standing in the way of cross-platform play, something that will surely become a hot-button topic once the new generation of hardware is unveiled, with Microsoft and Nintendo happily playing alongside one another while PlayStation players are fenced off.
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Keym

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Oct 26, 2017
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Crossplay? Really? No one will mention BC which is way more relevant to this article? Geez.
 
Expy

Expy

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Of course they don't forget.

They know their hardcore audience will continue to buy into their ecosystem since they produce quality first party games and that's the main selling point of Sony and their World Wide Studios. The other factors are just bonuses. They know their audience, and they're catering to them.
 

AlsoZ

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Oct 29, 2017
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They're ahead because of the games and the bad starts of their competitors.
Their resistance to crossplay, lack of refunds, lack of backwards compatibility, hardware problems etc. certainly make me wonder if they deserve that spot.
 
AndrewDean84

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Video Games Are Dumb said:
Without crossplay it's all lip service.
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Pretty much.
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kennyamr

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Any thread in favor of Sony will now be attacked by the same few people who keep posting over and over again in that crossplay thread, right?
Bummer.
 
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Deleted member 21709

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They really have to act on that beyond a killer first party release schedule, but I hope they will.

kennyamr said:
Any thread in favor of Sony will now be attacked by the people who keep posting in that crossplay thread, right? Bummer.
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Ok, let's talk about them shutting down online service to a first party, full price game after one year instead.

Or the lack of PSN features/meaningful updates in the last year.

Or the state of backwards compatibility.

Or their management making statements like (paraphrased) "who wants to play these old PS1/PS2 games?"

Or the way their approach/embrace to indies has seemingly flip flopped compared to the start of this gen. (Sure, you don't NEED them anymore...)
 
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Deleted member 5764

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This is a reassuring quote when you think of how it might relate to previous gens. Sony made some arrogant moves with the PS3 launch and paid dearly for them until late in the console's life. I'd like to believe that with Shu still in a position of influence, Sony won't forget that working closely with developers secured them a ton of early success for PS4.
 
khamakazee

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Arklite said:
So JRPGs help cement the brand but these days they feel so limited. Wish they'd help change that with some of their old first party.
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It's an expensive endeavor these days and the PlayStation console, or consoles period for that matter, don't seem to generate sales like they used to. What I feel is happening is Sony's push for visuals over anything else on how they market their games. RPG's in general are not exactly showcases for hardware.
 
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