Over the years, PlayStation has positioned itself as one of the most popular and prevalent video game companies in the entire industry. Its success story could have been very different, as it might not have happened at all due to a decision by Sony.
Ken Kutaragi, former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment and a key figure in the creation of PlayStation, was present at Tokyo Game Show 2024. During the event, he delved into a well-known story: Sony did not trust the future of PlayStation and believed it was destined for failure.
Ken Kutaragi recalls Sony's lack of confidence in PlayStation's success
PlayStation entered the market at a time when Nintendo dominated, and other companies had failed in their attempts to maintain a foothold in the industry. For years, Sony’s move was seen as a risky strategy, but it’s now clear that it paid off handsomely.
Currently, the brand holds a privileged position in the industry, despite its recent failures. During the Japanese event, Ken Kutaragi stated that Sony was hesitant to enter the video game business and did not have high hopes for PlayStation.
“We wanted to share the passion. We wanted to hear their expectations and what they did not expect, so we wanted to hear from them. So we visited dozens of companies if not hundreds, we visited a lot of game makers. It was a great memory. They were not interested. They just said, ‘Don’t do it. There were multiple companies and none of them were successful. You are going to fail.’ That’s what they told us.,” the former Sony executive commented.
Despite the company's stance and the opinions of some industry studios, Kutaragi and his team didn’t give up. The man also known as the father of PlayStation was responsible for conceptualizing and developing Sony's first console, which became a hit in 1994 thanks to its appealing game catalog, technical capabilities, and price.
Kutaragi was also instrumental in attracting key developers, securing great games for the system, and offering exciting exclusives to players. His work was just as crucial during the PS2 and PS3 eras, generations that helped position the brand where it is today.
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