Shu Yoshida has graduated from Sony, however he’s not retired. Quite, he’s operating a brand new indie video games consulting firm dubbed YOSP Inc.
Yoshida’s urge for food to do extra in gaming exhibits simply how a lot he loves indie recreation builders. He gained a Lifetime Achievement Awards at Gamescom Latam 2025, the place I did a fireplace chat with him in entrance of an enormous crowd of admiers.
Yoshida simply accomplished 38 years at Sony, together with 31 years at PlayStation, and he accomplished his final day on the large Japanese firm’s gaming division on January 15.
Whereas he’s leaving an illustrious profession within the PlayStation enterprise, Yoshida advised me in an interview and the group at Gamescom Latam that he’s not achieved with gaming. He nonetheless plans on working with indie recreation makers, which was his ultimate project at Sony Interactive Leisure. He joined Sony in 1986, proper out of school, and went to work in company technique to evaluation budgets and search for new companies for Sony.
On the time, Ken Kutaragi, searching for revenge towards Nintendo after it reneged on an settlement to work with Sony on a recreation console, pitched and gained approval for creating the Sony PlayStation. Yoshida didn’t consider Kutaragi may pull off his plan to do workstation-level 3D graphics on a $500 recreation console. However his former boss urged Yoshida to hitch and he took the plunge into the unknown. Yoshida grew to become one of many first 80 individuals engaged on the PlayStation.
The system debuted in December 1994 in Japan and in 1995 within the U.S. It turned out to be an enormous hit, and Yoshida needed to create a deck to impress Kutaragi’s bosses. Some seen the PlayStation as a “toy” that may tarnish the Sony model. Yoshida pitched the PlayStation because the “world’s first digital actuality system.” As soon as Sony moved ahead, Yoshida needed to persuade Japanese recreation builders and publishers to make video games for the system.
Because the PlayStation succeeded, Yoshida climbed up the ranks, shifting to the U.S. and changing into a vice chairman of Sony Pc Leisure. He grew to become president of Sony Pc Leisure Worldwide Studios in 2008, after Phil Harrison left to run Atari. In 2019, as Jim Ryan grew to become the pinnacle of the PlayStation enterprise, Yoshida stepped down from that position and have become head of PlayStation Indies in 2019. Of that transfer, he stated he had no selection. It was taking that indie job or go away the corporate. In 2023, he obtained a BAFTA Fellowship for his work in video games.
Among the many titles he labored on have been Gran Turismo, The Legend of Dragoon, Ape Escape, Crash Bandicoot, Crash Group Racing and Spyro 2: Ripto’s Vary. He oversaw growth on best-selling franchises together with God of Conflict, Uncharted and The Final of Us. He additionally grew to become a preferred spokesman for Sony, typically main the corporate’s responses to players on social media.
I caught up with Yoshida on the Cube Summit this week in Las Vegas and as soon as once more at Gamescom Latam. We talked about these reminiscences and extra.
The Gamescom Latam Large Competition 2025 awards in Sao Paulo, Brazil, began with the lifetime achievement award for Shu Yoshida, who championed indies at Sony’s PlayStation division throughout his a long time of labor on the firm.
Rodrigo Terra, CEO of Abram Video games, the Brazilian recreation affiliation, introduced the award to Yoshida, who will do a fireplace chat with me at Gamescom Latam on Thursday night in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Right here’s an edited transcript of our interview.
Right here’s an edited transcript of our interview.
GamesBeat: Shu Yoshida simply gained the lifetime achievement award right here at Gamescom Latam yesterday, so congratulations to Shu for that. He additionally gained the same award from BAFTA. He’s been on this enterprise eternally. He spent 31 years at PlayStation, and 38 years altogether at Sony. He joined in 1986, and he was worker quantity 32 on what was on the time an 80-person PlayStation group. He helped launch the unique PlayStation, the PS2, PS3, PS4. He in the end rose to steer the Worldwide Studios accountable for franchises like Uncharted and The Final of Us. He ended his time there centered on indie video games.
Shu simply retired from Sony on the finish of final yr. Now he can speak a bit extra.
Shuhei Yoshida: I left Sony, however I’m not retired.
GamesBeat: You began a brand new gig. What are you doing now?
Yoshida: I began my very own firm, YOSP Inc. I wish to assist indie publishers and builders that I’ve recognized for a very long time. I’m working with youthful people who find themselves gifted and enthusiastic about video games to develop actually high-quality, artistic video games. I’m having a number of enjoyable working with these corporations now.
GamesBeat: One of many good issues about Shu leaving Sony is he’s been in a position to do much more interviews these days. I did one with him. It bought handed round fairly a bit. Have been there some moments you talked about in your interviews that you just had by no means talked about earlier than, that additionally bought a number of consideration? What have been the tales that individuals appreciated listening to about you?
Yoshida: The interview you probably did with me, that was obtained very effectively. What did we speak about?
GamesBeat: One fascinating factor about you and your lengthy profession is that you just have been very energetic on social media. Folks actually appreciated you. A variety of recreation executives appear to draw back from interacting with followers, however you dove into it.
Yoshida: I type of represented PlayStation after I was with the corporate. I’m very energetic on X, the previous Twitter. I’ve plenty of followers. Each time PlayStation, as an organization, does one thing good, like launch a brand new nice recreation or new {hardware}, make an enormous announcement, individuals come to my channel and say, “Shu, you’re doing an awesome job.” Even when I had nothing to do with that a part of the corporate. I at all times get credit score I don’t deserve. In fact, when there was one thing unhealthy about PlayStation I’d get, “Shu, you suck.” However fortunately, as a rule PlayStation was doing one thing proper.
Every single day, even right this moment, after I get up I have a look at my X account and folks I don’t know inform me I’m doing nice. Take into consideration that. If each morning, somebody you don’t know tells you you’re doing nice, that’s a fairly blissful life. I’m dwelling an awesome life proper now due to my interactions with individuals on the web.
GamesBeat: I believe you’re being a bit overly humble once you say you had nothing to do with a few of these video games. We talked about Uncharted and The Final of Us, however different issues that occurred in your watch embody Gran Turismo, The Legend of Dragoon, Ape Escape, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro II. Is there any recreation you actually loved engaged on essentially the most?
Yoshida: Throughout the PlayStation days, I used to be a producer. I used to be very hands-on with recreation growth. The sport the place I used to be most concerned within the artistic side was Ape Escape. Do you all know Ape Escape? Oh, thanks. It’s an motion platformer recreation, like Mario, however you catch monkeys. That was a number of enjoyable. Once we began creating the sport, our objective was to create a 3D motion platformer like Mario 64, an incredible recreation of that era. However once we realized that the PlayStation {hardware} group was making ready for the launch of a brand new controller with two analog sticks, the Twin Shock controller, we determined to make this recreation solely playable with the brand new controller. We wished to give you recreation mechanics that used two analog sticks very effectively. We prototyped plenty of actions, like once you rotate the precise analog stick, you might transfer a propeller and fly. It was a number of enjoyable to do.
GamesBeat: I forgot to say God of Conflict as effectively. That was a small recreation.
Yoshida: On PlayStation 2 I used to be liable for growth in the US. Santa Monica Studios was one of many studios I used to be overseeing. Once they made God of Conflict, that was the very first first-party recreation from PlayStation to win recreation of the yr awards from trade occasions just like the DICE Summit or GDC. We have been all very proud.
Throughout the unique PlayStation days, you may not know this, however Japan was the house of our recreation growth. Plenty of nice video games got here out of Japan. These Japanese corporations have been revered globally for the standard of their video games. Once I moved from Japan to the U.S. for the PS2, I assumed, “All proper, I’m going to deliver Japanese recreation growth to the U.S.” However after I landed within the U.S., I shortly realized how open the event group within the U.S. was. At locations like GDC, recreation builders gathered collectively and shared information. They realized from one another.
Rapidly, simply after a few years, I ended video games from Japan. The standard of recreation growth within the U.S. was going up so shortly. Once we launched God of Conflict, the 3D action-adventure style prior to now was recognized for video games developed in Japan, nevertheless it was so well-done that growth groups in Japan requested, “How did you make this recreation?” That was a really proud second for me, working with a U.S. group to make video games that Japanese builders revered.
GamesBeat: Some persons are most likely questioning how you bought to be a gamer. There’s a little-known story about your childhood and the way you made video games with pencil and paper.
Yoshida: Once I was a toddler, there was no such factor as console gaming. Throughout my faculty days, I created a recreation utilizing a pencil. I carved the sting of the pencil, as a result of it had six faces, with numbers from one to 6. Then I ready two pencils like that and created a chart on paper, like a matrix. The pencils acted like two cube. While you threw the pencils, you bought a mix of numbers, like one and 6 or three and 4. You can put any guidelines inside that matrix. For instance, I made a baseball recreation. While you’d throw one and one it was a house run, one thing like that. I made many alternative sorts of video games like that and let my faculty pals play them with me.
The one recreation I made in these days that I used to be actually happy with–the desks we had at college have been made from wooden, with a thick plate of wooden on prime. I carved a baseball diamond into the floor of my desk and used a pachinko ball and a pencil. We’d sit on reverse sides of the desk. One individual would throw the pachinko ball and the opposite would attempt to hit it with the pencil. There have been holes on the floor – this one is a house run, that is an out, it is a double play. That was a extremely popular recreation amongst my pals. However finally I used to be referred to as to the principal’s workplace to apologize. Fortunately they didn’t report that to my mother and father.
GamesBeat: Inform me the way you met Ken Kutaragi, the daddy of the PlayStation.
Yoshida: I used to be working at Sony Company. On the time Sony was an electronics firm making the Walkman, TVs, VCRs and so forth. I used to be working within the PC division. Sony was creating a pocket book laptop for Apple. The very first Powerbook was designed by Sony. However one time I used to be referred to as by my former boss to fulfill with Ken Kutaragi. Ken stated, “We’re creating a online game system with the facility of a workstation.” On the time Silicon Graphics workstations have been within the $50,000 to $100,000 vary. You used them to create pre-rendered 3D graphics. He stated we have been going to promote this recreation machine for $500. I stated, “That’s wonderful,” however I completely didn’t consider him.
I went again to the one who really useful me to fulfill with Kutaragi, and I stated, “I believe this man is a liar.” However that individual stated, “No, I belief what Ken is doing.” So I requested if I may be part of Ken’s group. That’s how I got here to hitch the PlayStation group, lengthy earlier than the PlayStation was launched.
GamesBeat: We’re going to leap round a bit. You’ve engaged with Brazilian recreation builders earlier than. You met the parents who based Arvore.
Yoshida: One factor I had plenty of enjoyable doing through the PlayStation 4 era was that I bought concerned within the growth of the PlayStation VR system, the primary one. That concept really got here from Santa Monica Studios, the God of Conflict group. They created a home made viewer and connected it to a PS3 dev package. It used the Transfer controller. It was a home made VR system. They personalized a God of Conflict recreation on PS3. One of many builders put that handmade headset on my head and I used to be on the planet of God of Conflict. I seemed down and I used to be Kratos. It was an incredible expertise. If that was potential with the PS3, we thought that with the PS4, we may most likely develop it right into a client product. That was the place the inspiration got here from. I used to be closely concerned within the growth of the particular {hardware}.
Once we have been engaged on PSVR and launched the {hardware}, there was an excellent recreation referred to as Pixel Ripped 1989. That recreation was developed right here in Brazil by Arvore. The sport used, in my thoughts, the perfect use of the PSVR system. You have been an elementary faculty pupil, and at school you wished to play your moveable recreation system, like a Sport Boy. There’s a recreation inside the sport. However you must play the sport whereas the instructor isn’t you. You must verify on what the instructor is and play the sport efficiently on the moveable you’ve. The PSVR system has the flexibility to trace the Twin Shock controller. While you’re holding the Twin Shock like this, you actually really feel such as you’re holding that moveable recreation system contained in the digital world. I grew to become an enormous fan of that recreation and met the developer, Ana Ribeiro, the creator of the sport. We grew to become pals. That’s how I met a Brazilian developer for the primary time.
GamesBeat: You made a transition in your profession, shifting from being accountable for all of the studios to being accountable for indies. What was that like for you?
Yoshida: It was 2019. Jim Ryan, on the time, was CEO of the corporate. He requested me to do one thing about supporting indies. I don’t know if you happen to recall, however in 2019 PlayStation was criticized by media individuals and trade individuals, who stated that PlayStation wasn’t supporting indie builders sufficient. PlayStation was generally known as an enormous supporter of indie video games across the launch of PS4, and we had nice indie video games obtainable on PS4, however towards the top of the era in some way the corporate’s consideration shifted extra to supporting large video games and first-party video games. I used to be liable for creating first-party video games, so I used to be getting a number of help from the corporate, however I used to be involved in regards to the seeming lack of help for indie builders.
To me, it’s not solely that I used to be an enormous fan of indie video games, however I really consider that indie builders will create the longer term. They carry innovation to the trade. A terrific firm like PlayStation with such a big platform within the trade needs to be main help for creativity in that a part of the trade. Nevertheless it seemed like we weren’t doing sufficient. When Jim Ryan requested me to do one thing, I stated I’d do my finest to advocate for the significance of indie video games inside and out of doors the corporate. I labored with our third-party groups to determine nice video games popping out and tried to advertise them in social channels and so forth. For the final 5 years of my work at PlayStation, I used to be indie video games, figuring out nice video games and selling them in order that plenty of individuals would strive them.
GamesBeat: How did you develop your private style round video games and use your instinct to determine what video games to greenlight and put some huge cash behind?
Yoshida: Once I was liable for the first-party studios, after all we had some common IP like God of Conflict and Uncharted. Folks wished to play extra of these video games. Their studios had concepts to advance these franchises, and I supported the creation of these sequels. However I at all times wished to stability our work on these present franchises and our funding in new IP. In my thoughts, engaged on new IP is the perfect likelihood, the perfect alternative for a group to give you modern concepts. I at all times wished to spend half of my price range on new IP growth. So far as what new video games to help, it was partly intuition and partly listening to the builders to see how a lot thought that they had put into arising with these concepts.
GamesBeat: You’ve at all times been a fairly optimistic individual, however the recreation trade has had a troublesome time in the previous few years. There have been a number of layoffs, a number of studios closing. Folks speak about an indie apocalypse, nevertheless it additionally appears to be affecting triple-A video games. Every little thing has been affected indirectly. How do you keep optimistic?
Yoshida: 5 years in the past, when COVID occurred, everybody on the planet needed to keep at house. That they had to spend so much of time at house. Naturally they spent a number of time taking part in video games. The online game trade bought an enormous profit from that scenario. The trade grew like loopy. Many corporations, particularly massive corporations, believed that development would proceed. Trade analysts have been projecting that loopy progress would proceed. Naturally, administration individuals invested some huge cash, and some huge cash got here in from exterior the trade. The final couple of years of adjustment, with all these cancellations and layoffs, is the punishment for that type of pondering from administration.
In relation to retaining an optimistic view, once you have a look at the expansion of the trade, it’s been petering out for a few years. However if you happen to take out these anomalies and plot it out, the trade remains to be rising steadily. I’ve a robust idea that video video games benefit from any new technological development. When new know-how comes alongside, the very first thing individuals do with it’s make video games. Builders are fast to take benefit and experiment with new know-how. Leisure at all times wants recent new concepts. In any other case individuals get bored and transfer on.
Fortunately, due to this fixed growth of latest applied sciences, video video games at all times have recent alternatives to create new experiences, or to scale back the price of growth, the price of entry into the trade. Take digital distribution. That’s the most important change within the final 30 years for the trade. Digital distribution democratized the trade. Up to now, earlier than digital, you needed to have capital to turn out to be a writer. You needed to spend some huge cash creating bodily stock. You needed to promote to distributors and retailers. You wanted a number of group to have the ability to try this.
Now, a child in Africa can simply obtain Unity without cost, so long as they’ve a PC, and begin making video games. In the event that they make an awesome recreation, they’ll publish it on Steam or no matter distribution platform – PlayStation Community, Xbox Stay – and promote their recreation globally. That’s the most important change, the most important alternative. Increasingly artistic minds are getting into the trade as recreation builders. On this area as effectively, I used to be right here three years in the past for the BIG pageant. I met with many builders and performed their video games on the present ground. Three years later, the video games I used to be in a position to play right here, the video games I noticed from builders–I took 14 conferences right this moment. The standard has clearly elevated. I’m tremendous optimistic for the way forward for this trade, so long as we proceed to create new know-how and builders proceed to benefit from it.
GamesBeat: How did you consider deciding to go away Sony and PlayStation?
Yoshida: I used to be very blissful managing the first-party studios. It’s possible you’ll know that we had incredible, artistic, passionate groups like Naughty Canine, Insomniac, Guerrilla Video games, Media Molecule, or Japan Studios. It was a lot enjoyable working with these groups, so inspiring and so rewarding. The video games these groups made have been performed by hundreds of thousands of individuals globally. We have been in a position to see how a lot constructive influence we had on the lives of individuals. A few of you might need grown up taking part in the video games we developed. It was such a rewarding job.
When Jim Ryan requested me to do one thing about indies, I wasn’t pondering that I’d do something aside from recreation growth for PlayStation. However due to the scenario that I defined, I assumed that I needed to do one thing earlier than I left PlayStation. I actually cared about how PlayStation supported indie video games. 5 years in the past, I set a objective to make my position as an advocate for indie video games at PlayStation out of date. If I did a superb job working with all of the groups at PlayStation to help indies and arrange sources to help them, I wouldn’t want an individual like me to maintain saying that this was necessary. Everybody on the firm would perceive.
Final yr, after these 5 years, I felt like the corporate was on a superb trajectory. They’ve good sources and plans to maintain supporting indies. My mission was achieved. On the similar time, Jim Ryan, who arrange my position, left the corporate earlier than I did. I grew to become virtually the final of the administration group from the very first era of PlayStation. Fortunately, the corporate picked nice individuals as the brand new era of leaders for PlayStation. They’re a lot youthful than our era. They’ll deliver recent concepts for the corporate. I felt like my time at PlayStation was ending. That’s how I made a decision to go away.
GamesBeat: From so many indie video games, what developments do you be ok with which might be occurring within the recreation trade? What are some stuff you’re enthusiastic about for the longer term?
Yoshida: At PlayStation there’s an initiative referred to as the China Hero Undertaking, the India Hero Undertaking, and now the MENA Hero Undertaking, the Center East and North Africa. PlayStation is investing in builders in these areas to assist them turn out to be console recreation builders. I used to be a part of this initiative. I hung out visiting India for a few years, assembly with Indian builders. I actually like after I see video games coming from these areas. Not simply prime quality video games, however builders making the most of their heritage, their tradition and mythology, their music, and even social points in these areas. They’re creating distinctive video games with genuine topics, the type of video games that solely the builders in that area can create.
So many video games are being developed worldwide due to the democratization I talked about. It’s onerous to compete. A few of you is perhaps builders. You have to be feeling the identical. Even if you happen to make an awesome recreation, it’s onerous to get your recreation to be recognized by individuals, as a result of so many video games are launched each week. However if you happen to depend on one thing you consider that you realize higher than anybody else on the planet, if you happen to’re essentially the most educated about that topic, that’s an opportunity in your recreation to face out. There are at all times individuals with cash, publishers and buyers, searching for new concepts and new video games to scout. I perceive there are a lot of publishing scouts right here at Gamescom Latam looking for new video games. They’re at all times searching for new concepts, one thing they haven’t seen earlier than. Once I see video games like that from India, from Brazil, that basically excites me.
GamesBeat: Might you speak about among the most memorable moments out of your lengthy profession?
Yoshida: I at all times say that the sport I’m most happy with was Journey. It was a small recreation made by a small group, proper out of faculty in Los Angeles. Heaps of people that performed that recreation cried on the finish. It’s a metaphor for human life. Once I performed it, towards the top I used to be remembering my grandmother, who had handed away a couple of years earlier than. Jenova Chen, the creator of the sport–it gained plenty of awards. He did a speech on the DICE Summit that yr, the place he learn a letter from a woman who had misplaced her father. She talked about how taking part in the sport helped her to take care of the unhappiness of dropping her father, remembering his life and with the ability to overcome that unhappiness. Understanding {that a} small recreation may have a big impact on the lives of individuals like that, a recreation you might play in simply 4 hours–I felt the influence a recreation may have on human life was so significant. I used to be so proud to be a part of that growth course of.
GamesBeat: It’s heartening to see that Jenova and thatgamecompany try to present again to the trade. They simply introduced this week that they wished to do some recreation jams to floor narrative video games with emotional storytelling. They’re going to assist fund these video games from indie builders.
Yoshida: Jenova is a incredible individual. They made some huge cash from their recreation Sky. It’s nice to see that. You have been within the room for Jenova’s speech at DICE, weren’t you?
GamesBeat: Yeah, I’ve talked to Jenova a number of occasions. I bear in mind one of many issues he talked about was that that they had this profitable recreation, however the firm nonetheless wasn’t financially viable. They needed to discover one other means out, go down a distinct path. However thankfully that led to Sky.
Query: At E3 2013 there have been large repercussions associated to a video the place Mr. Yoshida demonstrated the method of borrowing a PS4 recreation from a good friend. Many thought of this second Sony’s comeback to a management place available in the market. It set the corporate up because the winner in that era, even earlier than it was launched. How did Sony see that second, which additionally highlighted the weak factors of the competitors?
Yoshida: I can reply the final half first. It was nice to have a superb competitor who allow us to win. We have been simply speaking about our plans. Folks thought we have been sensible.
Query: Now that you just’ve been working with indie studios so much, what classes do you assume triple-A studios nonetheless should be taught from indies?
Yoshida: Large studios–I labored with bigger studios throughout my first-party growth days. They’re large followers of indie video games. Indies strive new concepts. They give you new recreation mechanics and even invent new genres of video games. Triple-A studio persons are recreation followers as effectively. They at all times play indie video games and get inspiration from youthful artistic builders. They’re studying, and that can proceed.
The dimensions of triple-A growth is changing into even larger now. Firms should make protected bets when it comes to genres and material. They should do sequels, issues like that. However they wish to reinvent their franchises inside that type of growth. Usually the supply of their inspiration comes from indie builders.
Query: How does it really feel so that you can see franchises that you just gave beginning to, that you just noticed being created, have a lot influence now on the sport trade?
Yoshida: How does it really feel? It feels wonderful. I at all times really feel happy with the builders who made these franchises, who pushed their franchises to new heights. I got here up as a producer in studio administration. I can’t program or draw artwork or design video games. I’ve at all times had a excessive respect for the individuals who can try this. Each time youthful builders push to the subsequent stage for these franchises and get an awesome response from their viewers, that makes me happy with them.
