PlayStation legend Shuhei Yoshida announces retirement from Sony

Shuhei Yoshida will step down from PlayStation in January 2025 after more than 30 years with the company.

Yoshida is one of PlayStation’s longest-serving employees and has become one of the brand’s most memorable faces over the decades.

Best known for his long stint as boss of PlayStation Worldwide Studios between 2008 and 2019, it was during this era that Yoshida began speaking directly to fans via social media and starred in PlayStation’s iconic video showing how easy it was to share games on PS4after Microsoft’s clumsy Xbox One announcement.

There was that time too Yoshida fell asleep while Heavy Rain director David Cage gave a monologue about storytelling.

Since 2019, Yoshida has spearheaded PlayStation’s efforts to encourage indie developers to its platform. By 2023, he received the BAFTA Games Fellowship for his contributions to the industry.

Eurogamer has interviewed Yoshida numerous time about the years, including at EGX 2015, in a talk to celebrate PlayStation’s 20th anniversary in Britain. When asked by then Eurogamer editor-in-chief and now PlayStation colleague Martin Robinson where the company would be in another twenty years, Yoshida said:

“Even if PS4 does well, you can look at the sales, the rapid pace of PS4 sales, maybe we’re just selling faster to the same people, right! That’s a sad look at things, but it could be the case are.

“We need to keep working hard to really bring back people who played console games before the PS2 era, or find new people who can provide great experiences that people who never owned their own consoles can find useful in their lives.”

Word of Yoshida’s departure has drawn well wishes from fans and colleagues across the video game industry.

“Congratulations on a great career at PlayStation,” says Xbox boss Phil Spencer wrote to X in response to today’s news. “You have always been a great advocate for the industry, for creators and for players. I appreciated the time we were able to spend talking about gaming. Thank you @yosp”.

“Sad to see you leaving Shu, you will be missed!” wrote Guerrilla Games CEO Mathijs de Jonge. “Thank you for your support and kindness. I wish you all the best in your next dream job! “

In a new interview via the PlayStation BlogYoshida pondered his reasons for leaving now, as PlayStation itself celebrates its 30th anniversary next week.

“I have been with PlayStation since the beginning and this is my 31st year with PlayStation,” Yoshida said. “And when I turned 30, I thought: hmm, maybe it’s time for me to move on.

“You know, the company is doing great,” he continued. “I love PS5, I love the games coming out on this platform. And we have new generations of management that I respect and admire. And I’m so excited about the future of PlayStation.”