PlayStation legend Shuhei Yoshida announces Sony retirement
Goodnight, sweet Shu.
Shuhei Yoshida will step down from PlayStation in January 2025, after more than 30 years at the company.
Yoshida is one of PlayStation's longest-serving employees, and over the decades has become one of the brand's most memorable faces.
Best known for his long stint as boss of PlayStation Worldwide Studios between 2008 and 2019, it was in this era that Yoshida began talking directly to fans via social media, and starred in PlayStation's iconic video demonstrating how easy it was to share games on PS4, following Microsoft's fumbled Xbox One announcement.
There was also that time Yoshida fell asleep while Heavy Rain director David Cage delivered a monologue on storytelling.
Since 2019, Yoshida has looked after PlayStation's push to encourage indie developers to its platform. In 2023, he was awarded the BAFTA Games Fellowship for his contributions to the industry.
Eurogamer has interviewed Yoshida numerous times over the years, including at EGX 2015, in a talk to celebrate PlayStation's 20th anniversary in the UK. Asked by then-Eurogamer editor-in-chief and now-PlayStation colleague Martin Robinson where the company would be in another 20 years, Yoshida said:
"Even when PS4 is doing well, you might look at the sales, the fast pace of PS4 sales, we may be just selling to the same people faster, right! That's a sad view of things, but it could be the case.
"We have to continue to work hard to really bring back people who used to play console games before PS2 era, or find new people to provide great experiences, that people who never had their own consoles might find useful for their lives."
Word of Yoshida's departure has brought well wishes from fans and colleagues from across the video games industry.
"Congrats on an amazing career at PlayStation," Xbox boss Phil Spencer wrote on X in response to today's news. "You've always been a great advocate for the industry, for creators and for players. I've appreciated the time we've been able to spend talking gaming. Thank You @yosp".
"Sad to see you leave Shu, you'll be missed!" wrote Guerrilla Games bigwig Mathijs de Jonge. "Thank you for your support and kindness. Wishing you all the best on your next dream job! 💙"
In a new interview via the PlayStation blog, Yoshida reflected on his reasons for departing now, as PlayStation itself celebrates its 30th anniversary next week.
"I've been with PlayStation from the beginning, and this is my 31st year with PlayStation," Yoshida said. "And when I hit 30 years, I was thinking, hmm, it may be about time for me to move on.
"You know, the company's been doing great," he continued. "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 admire. And I'm so excited for the future of PlayStation."
