Two months after former Sony Computer Entertainment, Worldwide Studios president Phil Harrison left in a potentially ill-advised attempt to right the sinking schooner Atari, Sony has appointed his replacement: long-time PlayStation veteran Shuhei Yoshida. Effective immediately, Yoshida will be responsible for managing development at Sony’s diverse collection of 16 worldwide studios.
The new president will have big shoes to fill — Phil Harrison was the only President of SCE Worldwide since its inception in September 2005 — but judging by his resume, Yoshida seems like a perfect fit. According to his corporate biography (likely to change at any moment to reflect his new position), Yoshida is a 22-year Sony veteran who has been involved in corporate strategy from the get-go, a founding member of the original 1993 PlayStation team — where he was responsible for third-party licensing — and a man constantly involved in managing game development on an increasingly larger scale.
He produced (or executive produced) the original Gran Turismo, Ape Escape and The Legend of Dragoon during his tenure in Japan, oversaw landmark titles by notable studios like Insomniac, Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch in the U.S. as Vice President of Product Development, and since March 2007 with a promotion to Senior Vice President, has been “responsible for all software development activities in North America.”
Doesn’t seem much of a stretch to extend that reach to the rest of the world.
While it’s true that Yoshida is rarely in the public eye, we did manage to dig up a 2005 interview with Yoshida that gives some insight into his gaming personality, and this post in 2007 where Yoshida explains the PlayStation development process, his area of expertise. Perhaps you can glean something about PlayStation worldwide policy if you read between the lines.
Press release:
TOKYO, May 15 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced the appointment of Shuhei Yoshida, Senior Vice President, US Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS), as President of SCE WWS, effective May 16, 2008.
Yoshida joined SCEI in 1993, and was one of the initial members in establishing the PlayStation(R) business. He was appointed Producer of the Product Development Department in April 1996, and joined Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. as Vice President of Product Development in April 2000, where he held various positions in product development, producing many global best selling franchise titles. In February 2007, Yoshida was promoted to Senior Vice President, US Studios, SCE WWS.
“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,” said Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO, SCEI. “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.”
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