Summary
When it comes to the bigwigs of the video game industry, you’ll struggle to find any that are actually likable and relatable these days, as big companies become more profit-hungry and money-driven. EvenXbox’sPhil Spencer, once touted as gaming’s relatable “nice guy”, has seen his stock drop drastically over the past few years,thanks to layoffs from Microsoftand thetreatment of studios under the company like Tango Gameworks.
Fortunately, we do have a few big executives that the majority of people love, and PlayStation’s Shuhei Yoshida is one of them, a man so enamored with indie games that he was made Head of the Indies Initiative for PlayStation. He’s been there for 31 years and is synonymous with the brand as a result, but he now seems to be calling it a day.
PlayStation Confirms Shuhei Yoshida Is Leaving Next Year
In a new blog post on the PlayStation websitediscussing his career, Yoshida makes his grand announcement, revealing that he’ll be leaving Sony Interactive Entertainment and PlayStation on January 15 next year.
“I have an announcement to make. I’m leaving Sony Interactive Entertainment on June 15, 2025… it’s like announcing the launch date of a new game, [something] I haven’t done for a long time.”
When asked what drove Yoshida’s decision, he explained that he felt it was “time for me to move on” when he’d reached 30 years at the company, and that there’s “new generations of management who I respect and admire” coming through. He finishes it off by saying that he believes PlayStation is in “really good hands” and that he’s “excited for the future” of the platform, so he’s now happy to call time on his career with the company.
It’s sad to see him go when he’s been such a massive part of PlayStation for so long, but it seems as though we may still see him around in some capacity. When asked on Twitter whether this was an announcement of his full retirement,Yoshida respondedsaying that he’d still “like to stay in the industry”, though his next job seems to be up in the air at the moment. It’ll probably have something to do with indie games, knowing him. We wish you the best, Yoshida.
