Ever since Phil Harrison shocked the games industry by leaving Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) for Atari, there has been a crucial void in Sony's management. In the interim months, Kazuo Hirai was the acting President of the Worldwide Studios, but effective today, there will be replacement.Shuhei Yoshida has become the new president of the SCE Worldwide Studios. He began his career with SCEI in April 1996 as one of initial members in establishing the PlayStation business. Since then, he moved on to Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), where he ultimately became Senior VP of the US Studios.
In a press release from Tokyo, Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO of SCEI commented about the new position. "SCE WWS has been developing global hit titles, sharing resources and know-how within SCE Group since its foundation, and we will reinforce our software business by further enhancing coordination among the studios under a new leader. Under the leadership of Yoshida, who has proven track record in managing creative talent, SCE WWS will accelerate the software development for the PLAYSTATION(R)3 and PSP(R) (PlayStation(R) Portable) platforms and vigorously expand the gaming market."
The PS3 and PSP are both trailing behind competing home and portable platforms. It will take refocused leadership on Sony's part if it wants to reclaim its former glory in the games industry. We wish Yoshida the best of luck in his new role at Sony.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-16-2008 @ 12:18AM
adolson said...
I think this is good news.. For me it is, at least. I don't know this guy, but I really am not a Kaz fan.
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5-16-2008 @ 12:37AM
StevenRafael said...
Hmm... He can't live up to Phil Harrison.
Ahead of you lies a long and arduous road. Godspeed, Yoshida.
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5-16-2008 @ 12:37AM
paul said...
i'll miss harrison terribly. that guy actually grew on me as stupid as it sounds. his voice was just so friendly and he looked like a common guy who you'd go drinking with.
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5-16-2008 @ 10:58AM
StevenRafael said...
Agreed. This guy looks rather dull, perhaps easy to offend. I'd probably pass on the beer if this guy was around, and just go home.
5-16-2008 @ 12:48AM
Reymo said...
Take the PS3 to victory Yoshida!
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5-16-2008 @ 1:16AM
MJ said...
Is it just me or do a lot of the recent posts here seem to have a slightly negative tone to them?
I visit most of the other 'fanboy' Joystiq sites and those don't seem to have this, just ps3fanboy.
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5-16-2008 @ 1:55AM
sean said...
im with you. andrew is a closet 360 fanboy. he even bought GTA4 on 360. read the article from joystiq few weeks back if u dont believe me lol. but i dont really care as long as i get the news. or maybe its AOL editin it.
this comment will get deleted prob. even though its a joke...not really. im just tired and sayin anything
5-16-2008 @ 1:56AM
adolson said...
Nope, it's not just you.. And I think it's stupid for a PS3 "FANBOY" site to be run by a guy who bought GTAIV for 360 rather than PS3, because, as he put it, the 360 version is the better version.
5-16-2008 @ 1:59AM
sean said...
@ adolson
lol u said the same thing as me only 1 minute after lol that was weird
5-16-2008 @ 10:51AM
Andrew Yoon said...
Yeah, I'm a 360 fanboy. I'm also a DS fanboy, PS3 fanboy and PSP fanboy. Heck, I even game on my PC. I'm a fanboy of every system out there, because I enjoy gaming and am lucky enough to have all the current systems and enjoy the best that all the platforms have to offer.
5-16-2008 @ 11:23PM
parkd said...
Andrew, why do you think that GTA4 is better on the 360 version? In the podcast, I don't think you specified...
5-16-2008 @ 1:19AM
MJ said...
And on topic lol, I am glad that the post has been filled with someone who's been around the Playstation brand since the begining.
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5-16-2008 @ 1:30AM
Mike said...
go get em Yoshida
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5-16-2008 @ 1:31AM
Iain said...
Yay Yoshi!
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5-16-2008 @ 1:57AM
sean said...
im guessin he speaks english since he was at SCEA. which is good. cause they need someone new for the keynote at E3. they arent goin to have Kaz talkin to himself in home.lol. to bad they cat hire Phil to just do the Sony keynote. thatd be cool.
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5-16-2008 @ 2:27AM
TCampbell76 said...
Well this photo of him is fine... the one they have posted on Kotaku is a tight close-up of this one and he has this pesky huge zit right under his nose. It's bugging me, I just. want to. pick it.
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5-16-2008 @ 2:28AM
ruibing said...
I hope he's a JRPG fan and will advocate heavily for them. Good luck, dude.
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5-16-2008 @ 10:57AM
Mikezula said...
Shuhei Yoshida.
So, he's one of the founding members of the PlayStation, huh? Impressive.
I hope he makes a splash at E3. The shoes of the great Phil Harrison are huge shoes to fill.
"accelerate the software development"...key words there, Kaz!
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5-16-2008 @ 2:53PM
Peter said...
I hope Hiro does a good job.
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