Shuhei Yoshida: A life in games

Industry Champion

March 31, 2023

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To share and celebrate everything good in the world of video games. That’s the mantra of this very newsletter you’re reading, and something I try to keep in mind every time I’m putting a new issue together. There's a lot of bad news and negativity out there in the world and within the gaming community, so writing positively and sharing good news is something I always strive to do.

Shuhei Yoshida is an industry heavyweight and someone who has spent much of his career living by a similar ethos. He's a force for good within this industry we love, and on Thursday was awarded a BAFTA Games Fellowship, which, in BAFTA's own words "...is the highest accolade bestowed by BAFTA to those who have driven positive change in the screen arts."

I can't think of many people more deserving of that accolade.

Yoshida began his video game career in 1986 when he joined Japanese game developer ASCII Corporation. In 1993, he joined Sony as one of the first members of the PlayStation project and would go on to play a key role in the development of some of the most beloved games of the next few decades.

In 2008, Yoshida became president of Sony's Worldwide Studios, where he oversaw the development of games such as The Last of Us, Bloodborne, and Uncharted 4, and also played a key role in the development and launch of the PlayStation 4; currently the third best-selling home console of all time and one that signified a refreshing back-to-basics approach from Sony after the convoluted and arguably more arrogant excesses of the PS3 era.

Despite his involvement with some of gaming's biggest blockbusters, Yoshida has always been a vocal proponent of indie games and smaller developers, and he played a huge part in fostering a thriving indie scene on PlayStation in the late PS3 and early PS4 days in particular. In 2019, Yoshida stepped down from his role as president of Worldwide Studios to lead a new initiative at Sony designed to support independent game developers creating 'new and unexpected' experiences.

Perhaps most importantly, Yoshida always comes across as completely genuine and has exuded positivity throughout his time in the industry. His passion for gaming and his love for the medium is worn proudly on his sleeve for all to see, and he has always been willing to engage with fans, conduct enthusiastic interviews, and appear on YouTube channels eating unbearably hot peppers.

There’s an awful lot of good in gaming, and this BAFTA Fellowship is a huge honour recognising Yoshida’s continued desire to spread it. Not many high-profile figures in any industry can pull off influential and loveable, but it's something Shuhei Yoshida seems to do with ease.

An industry champion in every sense.

An accolade fully deserved.

Shuhei Yoshida with Xbox boss Phil Spencer

As always, thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoy the rest of the issue.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Jeff

THE WEEK IN GAMES

The best news, deals and gaming content of the week

NEWS

DEALS

  • Over on the PlayStation Store, the big Spring Sale is now on, with up to 75% off a huge selection of games.

  • Over on Xbox, there's a Franchise Sale currently running, with up to 85% off games from various famous franchises, a Starter Pack Sale, offering up to 50% off game and DLC bundles, and a LEGO Franchise Sale, with up to 85% off LEGO titles.

  • There's no themed sale over on Nintendo's eShop as usual, but there's a large selection of games on General Sale, including Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope for 50% off.

  • GOG has launched its Spring Sale, with over 4,500 games on sale at up to 90% off.

  • On the Epic Games Store The Silent Age and Tunche are currently free to download.

  • Finally, over on Steam there are plenty of games on special offer, including Fallen Order for £3.49, Sekiro for £24.95, God of War for £23.99, and more.

MORE!

  • My Perfect Console Podcast

This new-ish Podcast from veteran journalist Simon Parkin "invites guests from the worlds of gaming, film and television, music, comedy and more to choose the five video games they would like to immortalise on their very own fictional games machine and discuss what their choices mean to them."

Just 11 episodes in and the guestlist already features the likes of Dara Ó Briain, Phil Fish and Ashly Burch. You can check it out at all the usual Podcast places.

  • A Profound Waste of Time Reprint

The utterly brilliant first two issues of A Profound Waste of Time have been reprinted and made available to purchase again. I own both and can honestly say they're two of the best gaming books out there. You can check them out here.

NEW RELEASES

All the major releases arriving this week and next

OUT NOW:

OUT NEXT WEEK:

Dredge - Out now on all platforms!

SUPPORT TWiG

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Your contribution goes directly towards maintaining and improving The Week in Games. Thank you 🙏

…and that’s it for this week!

If you have any comments or suggestions, or if you’re interested in advertising your game, product or service to The Week in Games' passionate readers, contact me at [email protected], reply to this email directly, or catch me over on Twitter!

Thanks again, and see you next week!

Jeff