Shuhei Yoshida played an integral role at Sony Interactive Entertainment for over two decades.
The former head of PlayStation Studios (then known as Sony Worldwide Studios) helped develop the biggest IPs in the PlayStation library today.
“I helped Santa Monica to make God of War, Naughty Dog to make Uncharted and The Last of Us, and Sucker Punch to make the beautiful Ghost of Tsushima,” he said at the recent ALT: GAMES festival in Australia. He also adds that he was fired from leading the company's first-party development, which is ludicrous to think about.
“Jim Ryan wanted to remove me from first-party because I didn’t listen to him. “He asked to do some ridiculous things, and I said ‘No.'” While you can argue that Yoshida says the comment in jest, Jim Ryan has been a leading charge behind Sony's live service push as of late.
Yoshida then transitioned to a role focused more on "nurturing external independent creators" before leaving the company in 2025. He has since formed his own consulting firm, Yosp Inc., focusing on indie games. Here's how he describes it:
Here's the Advice Yoshida Gives to Indie Developers
Given his love of indie games, combined...
