Latest news with #ShuheiYoshida
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
"When they do a business analysis, Nintendo doesn't show up": Ex PlayStation boss says Sony's only real competition outside Japan is Xbox, even though they have "huge respect for what Nintendo does"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida says Sony really only views Xbox as its main competitor outside Japan, despite the company's immense respect for Nintendo's unique positioning in the industry. In a real Avengers-style crossover moment, Yoshida sat down with former Nintendo employees Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang for the latest episode of their Kit & Krysta podcast (timestamp), and Yoshida was asked how the higher ups at Sony view Nintendo as a competitor. His answer was essentially, they don't, not outside Japan at least. "Their perception of their competition is always Xbox," said Yoshida. "They see Microsoft as being their competition, because Xbox is very similar performance hardware. You know, high-end console, mature games. And Nintendo is very different. Family friendly, games for everyone. Not about technologies, more about having fun with friends and families ... So, inside Sony, even when they do a business analysis, Nintendo doesn't show up even." Yoshida added that, at least during his time at Sony, PlayStation was happy to see Nintendo succeed because it meant more people were playing games, and that opened up the potential for PlayStation to take a cut of that market share. "Nintendo is bringing a younger audience into gaming, and some of them when they grow up, might graduate into more mature systems like PlayStation or Xbox," said Yoshida. "Of course, they have huge respect for what Nintendo does in terms of how Nintendo should be doing in the industry. We all felt like it's great to have Nintendo to continue to be successful so that we can continue to grow the industry." Yoshida also noted that Sony's perception of Xbox as its "primary competitor" applies to markets outside Japan, because, "In Japan, Nintendo is hugely strong and Xbox almost doesn't exist." Ellis and Yang both co-signed that statement, saying, "facts." Of course, none of this is going to be hugely surprising to even casual observers, but it's really something else hearing it from a group of people with unique insights into the inner workings of both Sony and Nintendo, respectively. With the Switch 2 specs not even rivaling the lightweight Xbox Series S on paper, and also by virtue of it being a handheld console, it doesn't look like Nintendo's aiming to shift its place in the market in this generation, which absolutely makes sense following the generational success of the OG Switch. Speaking of: Switch 2 is Nintendo's fastest-selling console despite high prices, former Nintendo marketing leads say "you're basically teaching them that they can continue to do this"
Forbes
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Stellar Blade' Rockets To A Million PC Sales In Three Days
Stellar Blade If you wanted evidence that a game with wide appeal being locked into a single console in a single generation is perhaps not ideal, look no further than the launch of the PC version of Stellar Blade. Developer SHIFTUP has just announced that Stellar Blade has sold a million copies on PC in just three days of launch, which has brought the total up to 3 million sales since its release in April 2024, a 50% jump almost instantly. The game has seen a huge boost overseas, particularly in China where reportedly 58% of copies have been sold. The game is also cheaper there compared to the $60 dollar version in the US. Previously, PlayStation's Shuhei Yoshida has said China in particular is a driving force behind these PlayStation PC ports. Here's Yoshida speaking to Sacred Symbols earlier this year: The global sales surge has been evidenced by a sky-high concurrent playercount that topped 190,000 this weekend. The new version is reviewing very positively, a 92% ratio on Steam and an 86 metacritic score. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Stellar Blade Even before this PC launch, Stellar Blade was a big success for SHIFTUP, this being the developer's first AAA game, where that, combined with being a new IP, made the achievement all the more impressive. SHIFTUP has confirmed that in addition to further updates to the base game (of which there have been many) that a sequel is planned for 2027, most likely, though details are scarce about what that might look like. It remains to be seen if that sequel will once again be a PlayStation exclusive, and there are no announced plans to eventually get the game over to Xbox, which is no great surprise. The PC audience is likely expansion enough for Sony, and this has almost tripled the previous record for a PC port of one of its formerly exclusive games (Ghost of Tsushima). Sony's current plan is to release most of its big AAA single player games on PC eventually, but that day can be years. Multiplayer games, however, are launching day and date on PC, which has been successful with Helldivers 2, albeit that remains its only major success in its recent live service push. Stellar Blade, in addition to proving that PC is a huge market for certain games, has also helped push the narrative that people want original, single player games instead of endless rehashes and live services. Even so, we don't see success at this level that often. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sony is "really thoughtful" about bringing PlayStation franchises like God of War and The Last of Us off console, and PS5 games going to PC is a matter of "if", not when
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. During Sony's game and network services segment fireside chat – it's going to need to work on that name – Sony Interactive Entertainment studio business group CEO Hermen Hulst says PS5 exclusives coming to PC isn't a matter of when, but if. And he really emphasized the if. "We're continuously exploring new ways for players to interact with their franchises," Hulst says during the talk. "It's important to realize that we're really thoughtful about bringing our franchises off console to reach new audiences, and that we're taking a very measured, very deliberate approach in doing that." So if you thought Sony was just seeing dollar signs and throwing Stellar Blade on PC without a plan, Hulst says otherwise. Sony will be seeing dollar signs now though, because Stellar Blade is the best single-player PlayStation launch on Steam. Former Sony exec Shuhei Yoshida previously said porting PlayStation games to PC is "almost like printing money" and was pushing the company to do it before it was popular internally. He cited reaching players in regions where consoles weren't popular as one reason to do it. "Particularly on the single-player side, our tentpole titles, they're such a point of differentiation for the PlayStation console," Hulst continues in the latest fireside chat, citing PlayStation's long legacy as the home of top-tier exclusives. "They're real showcases of the performance, of the quality of the hardware, so we want to ensure that players get the best experience from these titles. We're very thoughtful about how and if we bring these titles to other platforms." A lot of PlayStation's prestige games like Ghost of Tsushima or God of War launch on PC with ultra widescreen support, supporting what Hulst is saying about wanting to be able to give PC players a strong impression of PlayStation's games. One thing gamers are praising so heavily with Stellar Blade is just how well optimized it is. So, don't expect the next big PS5 game to launch on PC just because it's popular on console. But don't count it out entirely, either. In the meantime, check out our list of the best PS5 games you can play today.
Metro
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Games Inbox: What is Rockstar Games' best game?
The Tuesday letters page asks whether video game execs need to be gamers or not, as one reader predicts Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Deluxe will be a while yet. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ Rockstar #1 Interesting to see people having the confidence to speak out against GTA, which I don't think we're going to see a lot of as the game gets closer. I won't pretend I don't enjoy the games, and still play GTA Online occasionally, but what I will say is that GTA 5 is not my favourite Rockstar game at all and I do feel it's a shame they don't make a wider range of games like they used to. Bully was great and so was The Warriors, but I especially liked the first Manhunt and I'm very upset that never became a regular franchise. I don't think Midnight Club or L.A. Noire were as good but at least they were something different, as was Max Payne 3 (although I prefer Remedy's two games). I would say that Red Dead Redemption 2 is easily their best game. It has all the scope and size of GTA but none of the flaws that people have been pointing out. It has a good, clear plot. The characters are all interesting and many of them are likeable. They act like people too, not just try hard characters. The gameplay still isn't great but it's no worse than GTA 5 and I definitely prefer riding a horse to driving a car, at least one designed by Rockstar. So while I am looking forward to GTA 6 there are quite a few other Rockstar games I'd rather see get a sequel first. Focus One for two Is it me or has Shuhei Yoshida been acting like a bit of chump in his recent round of interviews? He was very down on Switch 2 for no reason that I could really see, other than he's ex-Sony, and now he, who is presumably very rich, is trying to tell us all that £80 for a video is a bargain and we shouldn't complain? I'm sure it is good value for money but at the end of the day that's money that a lot of us don't have lying around spare. Only a few years ago I would've been able to get two triple-A games for £80, at least a couple of months after launch, and soon I'm only going to be able to get one. I don't see how that's good for gaming or publishers or anyone else. It's definitely not good for my wallet. Brian Summer secrets So, the Switch 2 is out on June 5 and the Summer Game Fest is June 6… does that mean there's going to be some kind of big annoucement? I know people are 50/50 on whether there's a secret Christmas game still to be revealed but if there was I would've though this would be a good time to do it. I can't see anyone getting all that excited when Nintendo try to make the reveal of the release dates for checks notes Hyrule Warriors 3 and Kirby Air Ride 2 seem like some epic reveal. I'm with everyone else that thinks they are very strange things to be out in the first year, especially when that could mean there's really only big first party game out all year. I'm not going to try and predict anything, because it's Nintendo and who knows, but does GC think the two dates are coincidence or are they going to end up being connected? Paulie GC: Our guess is that it's just a coincidence. Nintendo doesn't tend to use third party events to announce anything significant. They may try and squeeze something in at the last minute, just because the timing is so odd, but we wouldn't count on it. Email your comments to: gamecentral@ Strange ideas Like a lot of readers, I find Hideo Kojima a fascinating but flawed character. He's got so much obvious talent, but he's squandered so much of it on one franchise, that faded from public view surprisingly quickly. Dead Stranding was interesting but I'm not sure how a sequel is going to work if the core gameplay is still… walking very slowly and delivering parcels to holograms. I'm painting the game in its worst possible light there but even so, Death Stranding was just flawed as anything else Kojima has done and I would've liked to see him give it another roll of the dice with a different idea. Instead, he's working on a sequel, and what seem to be spiritual sequels to Silent Hills and Metal Gear. By which time he'll be well into his 60s… If all the ideas on the USB stick are as weird as the guy forgetting his abilities over time, I'd rather he do them now. It just feels he's permanently got one foot in the past and it's a real shame. Kurgen Come back later If Nintendo does do a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Deluxe edition for the Switch 2 do we have any idea who could be added to it? I would've said someone from a new Switch 2 IP but there really hasn't been one yet, which is a real shame. Maybe they could try and do one of the wheelchair basketball people, but I can't see many people queuing up for that. I also thought maybe a couple more Microsoft games, back when I expected them and Nintendo to be all chummy. Now it seems that was all just talk and Xbox doesn't have any plans at all, or at least none so urgent they've felt the need to talk about them so far. So if a Deluxe edition does happen, I don't think it's going to happen for a while, for the simple reason that there isn't anyone new to add, because they're all already been done. Roel Dungeons master I was going to compose a missive contemplating the likelihood of Dungeons 4 being ported to the Switch 2, only to find out that it's actually already out on Switch?! That would be an amazing feat if it worked but apparently it's a bug ridden, almost unplayable mess from the only review I can find (I literally had no idea and can't be the only one unaware of the port). So now, instead I'm wondering if they'll release a Switch 2 Edition or complete edition with all the DLC, or even just put some fixes through so the game runs better on the new hardware. I hope they do the same for Tropico 6 (both are by Kalypso, so if ones done the other will probably be too). As an aside, put me on the boat for people not really interested in GTA 6. Five or six years ago I'd been down for it but current, me who replayed GTA 5 before getting shot of my PlayStation 4, I found it pretty awful actually. The characters, the controls, the story, were all just urgh. I appreciate the characters aren't supposed to be likeable (except Franklin, maybe) but my god what were they thinking of with Trevor? Every time I had to play as him it felt like my soul was dying a little more, until I just gave up playing. I don't expect much from the single-player campaign of GTA 6, if there even is one… Solabound Glory days I don't think I'm the first person to say it on here but if Bungie lasts to the end of the year I will be shocked. I'll also be relatively surprised if Marathon isn't cancelled within the next few months. It's a game no one wants, in a genre no one will admit to liking, by a developer that seems to be in a downward spiral. It's sad to think how this sort of thing can happen. Halo 3 was 18 years ago now, and it's at least five years since Destiny 2 was relevant. It's unfortunate but Bungie were never the same after leaving Microsoft and I think the initial success of Destiny 1 just hid that for a while and now it's obvious. Tony T. Management sim I'm in two minds as to whether the head of a big games company needs to be a gamer or not. It feels like it should be a thing but at the end of the day what's most important is that they're a good business person, which the Take-Two guy seems to be. At least going by how long he's been in the job. Nintendo's Satoru Iwata was a great leader and actually used to make games, but his replacement is just a businessman with no developer background at all, and yet he seems to be doing a decent job. Then there's that other obvious example: Phil Spencer. He can't stop talking about what a keen gamer he is, and I think he genuinely is a fan, but I also think it's increasingly hard to pretend he's doing a good job at Xbox. Ultimately, I don't think it matters whether you're a gamer or not, whether you've ever been a developer or anything. The only thing that matters is being good at your job, which has nothing to do with making games but backing the right people that do, making sure they have the resources, and not interfering with them. I believe that's pretty much what the Take-Two guy himself said. Where you get a bit of a grey area is something like EA or Ubisoft, where you definitely feel like their leaders could stand to actually play some games once in a while, instead of just making decisions by spreadsheets. Remember that the team that made Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 used to work on Ubisoft, so they clearly weren't being creatively fulfilled there and that's a management problem. Lemmy Inbox also-ransI was thinking of getting Doom: The Dark Ages after the positive reviews but I was shocked to discover it was £70. This isn't Call Of Duty, this is a single-player only game that apparently is quite easy. I'll come back on Black Friday. Pancus If Red Dead Redemption 2 is out on Switch 2 this year I think that could be a really good selling point, because the obvious comparison, in terms of graphics, is Zelda and Rockstar's game is lightyears ahead of that. Bosley More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@ The small print New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers' letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader's Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don't forget to follow us on Twitter. MORE: Games Inbox: Should there be a GTA 6 spin-off on Nintendo Switch 2? MORE: Games Inbox: Who is the best third party video game publisher? MORE: Games Inbox: Is there going to be a PS5 State of Play this summer?
Metro
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
People shouldn't complain about £80 games says ex-PlayStation boss
Sony veteran Shuhei Yoshida has defended the rising costs of games, as he supports the idea of variable pricing. Between the anger around Nintendo's £74.99 price tag for Mario Kart World and increased costs across Xbox games, it's clear game prices will be a big topic for months to come. GTA 6 looks set to become a key talking point in this debate, with analysts predicting it could cost upwards of £100 when it launches on May 26, 2026. Rockstar hasn't officially announced the price, but Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick recently stressed its commitment to variable pricing, with Mafia: The Old Country launching at £44.99 later this year. In a new interview, former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida, who recently expressed his disappointment with the Switch 2, has addressed concerns around rising game prices – and he doesn't think it's a bad thing. Speaking to Critical Hits, Yoshida expressed his support for variable pricing: 'I don't believe every game has to be priced the same. Each game has different value it provides, or the size of budget. I totally believe it is up to the publishers – or developers self-publishing – decision to price their product to the value that they believe they are bringing in.' While he believes there should be no standard price for games, Yoshida states that the most expensive titles – now priced at $70 or $80 (UK prices are expected to work out as £80, based on prior conversion rates) – are still a bargain when compared to other forms of entertainment. 'In terms of actual price of $70 or $80, for really great games, I think it will still be a steal in terms of the amount of entertainment that top games, top quality games bring to people compared to other form of entertainment,' Yoshida said. 'As long as people choose carefully how they spend their money, I don't think they should be complaining about [it].' While defining a game's worth based on its length is always messy, if you use this metric, most games outclass film and television in terms of value for money. More Trending Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, for example, is moderately priced at £50 and takes around 30-40 hours to beat. When compared to the average £15 cinema ticket for a two hour film, there's no contest. In terms of franchises like Mario Kart, which releases new games very infrequently, there's an argument the £74.99 price point for Mario Kart World is justified, based on its quality and staying power as a multiplayer title; especially given £70 titles like EA Sports FC and Call Of Duty are released every year. However, the acceptance of these price points has perhaps become difficult to swallow due to the influx of free-to-play titles. When you can play Fortnite or Apex Legends for free, the idea of paying £80 for a game suddenly looks outdated and unappealing. It remains to be seen if these increased price points will actually affect sales, but it's easy to see Yoshida's point of view – even if it's not one that will be greeted with much enthusiasm by the average gamer. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Marathon delay predicted as concerns mount over the future of Bungie MORE: Games Inbox: Should there be a GTA 6 spin-off on Nintendo Switch 2? MORE: Nintendo Switch 2 is going to be a third party port machine – Reader's Feature
