Beloved PlayStation exec retires after more than 30 years

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Shuhei Yoshida posing in a home. He's wearing a blue button-up shirt.

Longtime PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida, who became one of the faces of the company during its PlayStation 3 and 4 eras, is retiring after more than 30 years.

Yoshida announced his retirement in a post on the PlayStation Blog and the official PlayStation Podcast on Tuesday. He’s best known as the former president of SIE Worldwide Studios from 2008 to 2019, and had spent the the last few years as the head of the Independent Developer Initiative. His retirement officially begins on January 15, 2025.

“I’ve been with PlayStation from the beginning, and this is my 31st year with PlayStation. And when I hit 30 years, I was thinking, hmm, it may be about time for me to move on,” he said on the official PlayStation Podcast commemorating the move. “So you know, PlayStation is in really good hands. I thought, OK, this is my time.”

Yoshida has been with PlayStation since 1993 during the development of the first PlayStation, which is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its launch this year. He was the lead account executive, connecting with publishers to hopefully get them to make games for the new console. Yoshida said in the interview that it was “challenging” because people didn’t believe in the potential of PlayStation at the time. It ended up revolutionizing the console industry thanks to its capabilities with 3D graphics, its use of the CD-ROM instead of cartridges, and a now legendary batch of games.

However, Yoshida is most known to fans as the face of the PlayStation 4. He made many appearances on stage at presentations and in marketing. He was a huge face for those watching PlayStation’s now famous E3 2013 presentation where the company unveiled the PS4 following a disastrous Xbox One reveal.

I was reminded of this piece of marketing where Yoshida appeared to discuss how to lend used games to your friends on the PS4. This was in response to Xbox’s attempt to crack down on players sharing games, which was one of the many failures of the Xbox One launch.

Official PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video

Many of his peers from across the industry congratulated him on his retirement on X. Head of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer called him a “great advocate for the industry, for creators and for players,” while Guerrilla game director Mathijs de Jonge thanked him for all his “support and kindness.”

Congrats on an amazing career at PlayStation. 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.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) November 27, 2024

Sad to see you leave Shu, you’ll be missed! Thank you for your support and kindness. Wishing you all the best on your next dream job! 💙

— Mathijs de Jonge (@dejongemathijs) November 27, 2024

However, Yoshida says that he’s not retiring from games — just from PlayStation. In another post on X, he said that he’d “like to stay in the industry.”

Carli Velocci

Carli is a technology, culture, and games editor and journalist. They were the Gaming Lead and Copy Chief at Windows Central…

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