On Thursday Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida and PS4 Lead Architect Mark Cerny spoke at a conference titled “Game Changers: Sony Computer Entertainment’s Shuhei Yoshida in Conversation with Mark Cerny” at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.
During the conversation, reported by Engadget, a rather interesting element was disclosed by Yoshida-san: after Phil Harrison’s departure from Sony in 2008, he felt threatened by internal debate in the company, questioning the need for the existence of SCE’s first party Worldwide Studios.
Yoshida-san didn’t stand idle, and pitched his candidacy as President of the Worldwide Studios to the newly appointed CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Kaz Hirai. Hirai-san agreed, and Under Yoshida-san’s leadership the teams were kept going.
That’s definitely what you’d call a turning point in the history of video games. The closure or sale of the Worldwide Studios would have probably meant that many fan favorite games released in the past few years would have never seen the light, at least in their current form.
Just imagine gaming without Naughty Dog, Sony Santa Monica, or Polyphony Digital. It would be a nightmare, wouldn’t it? Apparently it came too close for comfort to reality.
Source: Engadget
