Shuhei Yoshida, the former president of Worldwide Studios at Sony Interactive Entertainment, has shared some of the most nerve-wracking moments from his extensive career at PlayStation. In a revealing interview with MinnMax, Yoshida disclosed that two major events orchestrated by competitors, Nintendo and Xbox, sent shockwaves through his tenure at Sony.
The first of these terrifying moments was the launch of the Xbox 360, which hit the market a full year before the PlayStation 3. Yoshida described this as "very, very scary," noting that gamers who chose to wait for Sony's console would find themselves significantly delayed in experiencing the next generation of gaming.
However, the event that truly shook Yoshida to his core was Nintendo's announcement that Monster Hunter 4 would be exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS. He labeled this as "the biggest shock I had from an announcement from the competition." Monster Hunter had previously been a monumental success on the PlayStation Portable, boasting two exclusive titles. The unexpected exclusivity of Monster Hunter 4 to the 3DS, coupled with Nintendo's decision to slash the 3DS price by $100, positioned it far below the PlayStation Vita, which was also priced at $250 initially. Yoshida expressed his dismay, stating, "I was like, 'Oh my god'. And [then they] announced the biggest game... The biggest game on PSP was Monster Hunter. And that game is going to come out on Nintendo 3DS exclusively. I was like, 'Oh no.' That was the biggest shock."
Monster Hunter 4 launched exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS in 2013, with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate following a year later.
Yoshida's retirement in January marked the end of over three decades with Sony, during which he became a beloved figurehead for the PlayStation brand. Now free from corporate constraints, Yoshida has been able to offer candid insights into his career, including his thoughts on Sony's push into live service games, which he would have resisted, and his views on the unlikelihood of a remake or sequel to the cult classic Bloodborne.
