KenKutaragi
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An oral history of the last 20 years of gaming, as told by PlayStation's Shuhei Yoshida
The three weeks out of every month that Shuhei Yoshida's in Japan, he has the same routine every day. He wakes up, opens a tablet, and gets back to work on PlayStation consumer feedback via his favorite interaction tool: Twitter. The man who heads Sony's PlayStation group is incredibly, perhaps detrimentally, accessible on social media. It's not his job, but a role he's taken on. "It's my personal time, but since lots of people tweet to me, I'm doing this almost official customer service," he says. After 20-plus years working on PlayStation, Yoshida's beyond overqualified for customer service. He's been with Sony's PlayStation arm from its creation, and helped shepherd franchises from idea to mainstream norms: Gran Turismo, Crash Bandicoot, Uncharted. The list goes on. Yoshida spoke with PlayStation 4 lead architect (and other game industry legend) Mark Cerny last evening in California, where he detailed his storied history in the game industry.
Ken Kutaragi to receive AIAS Lifetime Achievement Award
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, has chosen Ken 'Krazy' Kutaragi as the recipient of the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Interactive Achievement Awards. The man behind that PlayStation thing (which we hear was really popular with you kids some years ago) will be honored on February 7th during a ceremony held at the Red Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, in conjunction with next year's D.I.C.E. Summit.Though now retired (or "squeezed out" depending on who you ask), the former Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. president and CEO was instrumental in the creation and launch of the PlayStation brand, the importance of which cannot be overstated -- we'd be surprised (and disappointed) if you were reading this and haven't had some sort of PlayStation product pass through your hands. If we have to wonder what the gaming landscape would be like without Kutaragi's kontributions, we reckon he deserves a fancy trophy. At the very least, we'll get a great acceptance speech out of it.[Thanks, ShortFuse]
Ken Kutaragi officially throws in the towel, retires from SCE
The father of the PlayStation, Ken Kutaragi, has officially retired from Sony Computer Entertainment. Previously, following a corporate re-shuffle, Mr. Kutaragi stepped down as CEO of SCE, replaced by Kaz Hirai. Now, Ken Kutaragi is relinquishing his Sony duties further, stepping down as SCE's Chairman and Group Chief Executive while remaining on board with SCE in an advisory role. Perhaps Sir Howard Stringer can assist with Ken Kutaragi's early retirement by quickly issuing restraining orders against him on all things Sony PlayStation-related. After all, earlier reports show "Krazy Ken" Kutaragi clearly doesn't know "when to say when" as he proceeded to inflate the PS3's budget until it exploded in everyone's collective faces, causing fallout from a few layoffs to a huge quarterly loss. Except now without Kutaragi in the limelight, how are we going to get such beautiful mock-ups of the PlayStation grill?
Kutaragi officially retires from Sony
We've known about it for months but today it becomes official -- Ken Kutaragi, the father of the PlayStation, is stepping down as chairman and chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. He will still have an advisory post at the gaming unit but his days of crazy press statements as one of the public faces of Sony are over.The storied engineer's long career at Sony hit some stumbling blocks with the PS3 launch, leading Kutaragi to be relieved of his day to day duties as president of the company late last year. Some say he was squeezed out to make room for new blood, but officially Kutaragi "has been considering this decision for some time" and considered today's shareholder meeting "the ideal timing to pass on the torch to the new generation of management."Next for Kutaragi is a post at Sony/Namco/Bandai partnership Cellius, which will focus on content designed for the PS3's Cell chip. We wish him all the best, and personally hope that the train of public gaffes doesn't stop running.
Sony's Ken Kutaragi steps down
We knew it was coming, but we can't help but shed a tear at the retirement of the man who took consoles out of the cartridge era and into the extravagant and multi-billion dollar polygon war currently taking place in our living rooms -- for better or worse. Ken Kutaragi, father of the PlayStation, is calling it quits today at the ripe old age of 56. It was pretty clear he was on the outs when he left his post as president of SCE last year, with Kazuo Hirai taking his place in most operational duties. Ken announced he was leaving his positions as CEO and chairman in April, and now he's making good on his promise, with little more clarity if it's of his own accord or due to internal Sony pressures for a changing of the guard. As previously announced, Kutaragi will be sticking around in an advisory role, but from here on out the expectations of a struggling company and a few million fanboys will rest squarely on Kaz to steer the faithful through this console generation and beyond. And yes, this also means we're retiring the 'shopped PS3 pic to the right of this post. It will be missed most of all.
Hironobu Sakaguchi Mixtape: Beef with Kutaragi
When you're the creator of Rad Racer, hatin' just comes with the territory. In the June issue of EGM, the head of Mistwalker himself, Hironobu Sakaguchi, had a very simple response to why he has no plans for the PlayStation 3."The machine's architecture is tricky, and I don't like Ken Kutaragi."Snap, son! Ken "I Got Shot Nine Times" Kutaragi only announced his retirement last week and you want to play him like that? The Final Fantasy creator was also asked about the Wii and said that while intriguing, he has no plans at this time. Naturally, this is where the crazies don the cap of money, clench their teeth and spray spittle in the form of flames. Yes, Mistwalker is working on a few Microsoft exclusives, but that doesn't mean he isn't without critiques.He says Microsoft's marketing strategy needs to do a better job selling Japanese consumers on "excellent" titles like Gears of War and calls out their Windows Vista ad saying "it's terrrible."Why the hate, Sakaguchi? We suppose "wow" isn't as catchy as DOOO DOOO DOOO!
Kutaragi already planned PlayStation 4, 5, 6 and cold fusion
Even though Ken Kutaragi is "retiring" from Sony (it saddens us to imagine security walking him to the front door, while he carries a cardboard box full of his belongings), he had already "envisioned" the PlayStation 4, 5, and 6, and probably also helped solidify his "graduation" by cornering people and going on about his PlayStation master plan for world domination.His next project appears to be working on a net-based game console, which sounds both kooky and smart at the same time. But, does he mean a console that uses processes similar to the SETI program and Folding@home? Or does he mean some sort of a console that just lives online and all games are purchased online? He could possibly even be hinting at a Giant Crab Network that will specialize in, well ... you know.Either way, it's all old-hat for Kutaragi, you had to have been integral to the design of the PlayStation 9.
Engadget Podcast 108 - 04.29.2007
Sure, our Podcast is a little late going up from this weekend, but where else are you gonna hear Engadget editors ramble on about the latest developments in gaming with the Xbox Elite, and Sony's loss of Kutaragi? Also up this week: AT&T misfires on the N75 launch, and find out more about how you can win a Wii. Get the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [RSS OGG] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in OGG) to your RSS aggregator. Hosts: Peter Rojas and Ryan Block Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Solvent - Instructograph (Ghostly International) Program: 01:07 - Xbox 360 Elite coverage roundup -- are you getting one? 10:42 - Sony's Ken Kutaragi leaving SCE chairman and CEO spots in June 19:58 - Sony, Immersion in talks to get SIXAXIS rumbling 22:32 - Fuh Yuan retracts $299 Wal-Mart HD DVD statement 28:27 - AT&T botches Nokia N75 launch, pulls from site 30:25 - The debacle continues: AT&T pulls LG CU500v, too 35:49 - The Engadget mascot contest: win a Wii! LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast: 1-888-ENGADGET, Engadget (Gizmo Project) or podcast at engadget dawt com
Iwata invites Kutaragi to work for Nintendo? Hell no!
We can't confirm the statement, but if you're inclined to believe GoNintendo's report, apparently at a financial press conference Nintendo head Satoru Iwata invited Sony's departing Ken "PlayStation" Kutaragi to join up with the Wii-maker. The irony is, of course, rich. Besides being bloody rivals for over a decade, Ken Kutaragi was also the dude who hooked Nintendo into its fabled (failed) late-80s partnership with Sony to add CD-ROM capabilities to the SNES; the eventual demise of that business relationship resulted in the original PlayStation, and Nintendo's biggest single competitor since. So will Kutaragi join up with the 117-year-old upstart from Kyoto? Something tells us probably not, but man, would that first day of work ever be aaawkwaaard.[Via PS3 Fanboy]Update: Our Japanese bureau had a crack at this one, and they found the story is pretty wrong, to say the least. According to a Bloomberg report, Iwata-san was asked whether Nintendo would make a bid for Kutaragi; the answer, which we found to be a little more realistic, had Mr. Iwata saying, "I don't think that will happen." Sorry Ken, doesn't look like anyone wants you right now. Have you thought about Microsoft?
NPR hails Kutaragi and smacks PS3
National Public Radio on Friday's episode of All Thing Considered did a piece on the "retirement" of Ken Kutaragi. In less than thirty-seconds into the piece focus shifts from Kutaragi leaving to the PlayStation 3's less than stellar sales.NPR beats the same drum as every other media outlet at this point. Finding a group of gamers in a GameCrazy store, it turns out that none of them own a PS3. When NPR asks the men why the PS3 isn't selling well, one responds, "Its just the price, the only thing that kills it is the price. Six-hundred, seven-hundred dollars out the door, that's a lot of money. If it was the price of the Xbox -- I'd get one." Another gamer says that all the good titles aren't exclusive to Sony and that all the games he likes for PlayStation are all on the PS2. NPR tempers it all by saying we're only six months into a cycle that'll last many years.
Kutaragi looks forward to PlayStation 4, 5, and 6
Everyone reading now is likely to be significantly older (and thusly worse at video games) by the time they're actually released, but the legendary departing Kutaragi-san told EE Times, "As a matter of course, I have the vision of Playstation [sic] 4, 5 and 6, which will merge into the network." Proud father of some of the best selling game consoles of all time apparently looks forward to seeing his ideas for PlayStations 4, 5, and 6 all come to be; obviously specifics were nil, and not much more than that to be heard since we're sure it's still all conceptual, pie in the sky stuff right now. But it's still kind of funny to imagine what the PS6 will be like, and just how accurately it will replicate sensory perception over its SIXSENSIS neural-link compared to those totally obsolete last-gen 2020-era consoles.
Analysts believe Sony's Kutaragi was squeezed out
It's hard not to imagine industry analysts getting along famously with PlayStation father, Ken Kutaragi. Holding hands, dancing in a circle and spouting outrageous claims at each other, they'd have a jolly good session of prediction, scrutiny and hopscotch. In response to Mr. Kutaragi's recently announced plans to leave the circle, several analysts have expressed belief that his departure is partly motivated by the parent company yelling from the outskirts of the park, insisting that, "You've had your fun, it's time to go." According to a GameDaily BIZ report, the PlayStation 3 may make for a particularly heavy golden hand to shake.Evan Wilson of Pacific Crest Securities tells Bloomberg.com that Kutaragi's retirement "is likely an indication Sony corporate isn't satisfied with the initial success of the PS3." The Washington Post calls it a "face-saving firing," quoting IDC's famous time traveling analyst, Billy Pidgeon, as saying, "Sony had too much hype and not enough delivery." Furthermore, an AG Edwards analyst, Bill Kreher, tells GameDaily BIZ, "The PS3 obviously has had a rough start and I would question whether Kutaragi would still be leaving if the console had been better received by the marketplace."Still, some analysts agree with Sony's official line that Kutaragi had left of his own accord in pursuit of "new challenges beyond the world of PlayStation." Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities states that the decision likely had more to do with software and the PSP. "It can't be [Kutaragi's] fault that the cost of the box was so high, and I have a tough time believing he insisted on Blu-ray. They probably just all agreed it was time to move on." He and a few other analysts go on to note that Kaz Hirai will prove to be an effective leader and a better instigator of success in the years to come.
Ken Kutaragi steps down as CEO
The quote unquote Father of the PlayStation is stepping down from his position of CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment. "Kutaragi has said that he has been considering this decision for some time. He stated that, in the six months since the appointment of Kazuo Hirai as President in December, the new generation of management, led by Mr. Hirai, has continued to develop. With the March introduction of PS3 in Europe completing the successful launch of PS3 worldwide, Mr. Kutaragi has identified SCE's Annual Shareholders' meeting in June as the ideal timing to pass on the torch to the new generation of management. Mr. Kutaragi will now apply his extensive technological knowledge and leadership skills to take on new challenges beyond the world of PlayStation. Sony and SCE will continue to seek Mr. Kutaragi's input and ideas from a broad perspective, while continuing to support him as much as possible in the realization of his dreams."Kutaragi will continue to be a senior technology advisor to Sony. Although the man was infamous for his somewhat delusional comments, we know that his replacement, Kaz Hirai, will do just a good of job at keeping the internet entertained.
Ken Kutaragi to retire, go back to space ship
As of June 19th, the man behind the Spider-Man font, behind the PlayStation 3's slick design, behind the massive damage control Sony is still trying to get a hang of will be retiring. Yes, Krazy Ken Kutaragi will be stepping down from his position as CEO at Sony Computer Entertainment. He will be replaced by the less krazy Kaz Hirai -- he doesn't get the capital letter yet.The following are excerpts from a press release from Sony detailing the resignation: "Kutaragi has said that he has been considering this decision for some time. He stated that, in the six months since the appointment of Kazuo Hirai as President in December, the new generation of management, led by Mr. Hirai, has continued to develop...Sony and SCE will continue to seek Mr. Kutaragi's input and ideas from a broad perspective, while continuing to support him as much as possible in the realization of his dreams." He's passing on the torch to Kaz Hirai and the new, fresh, young management team! Good. It's a good thing to know what's best for the company, even at your own expense. We salute him for that. But... what are his dreams? The PS3 Grill?While this is heartbreaking news for those who think Kutaragi was doing a stellar job with the PS3, recall that he was given a promotion recently that consequently took him out of most day-to-day operations of Sony and the PlayStation 3. As a parting farewell to all the shoddy promises given by Kutaragi, as well as a few things to make us giggle, we're sticking some famous quotes from the man, the legend, the mystery: Ken Kutaragi. Goodbye, Krazy Ken. You had a good run, but it's time to step aside. Have a great retirement! "[We want] consumers to think to themselves 'I will work more hours to buy one'. We want people to feel that they want it, irrespective of anything else." "The PS3 will instill discipline in our children and adults alike. Everyone will know discipline." "The PS3 is not a game machine " [Via Joystiq]
Sony's Ken Kutaragi announces plans to retire
In March, The Wall Street Journal said Ken Kutaragi was a "stumbling block" for Sony; now they're reporting that the controversial chairman and group CEO for Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. -- and father of the PlayStation brand -- will be retiring his post effective June 19. Of course, the 57-year-old exec was recently kicked upstairs, removing him from day-to-day operations following what many considered to be a botched strategy for the PlayStation 3. Kaz Hirai, who replaced Ken in December, will be promoted to CEO of SCE. And Kaz, you better start practicing. You've got some large shoes to fill ... four-dimensional shoes that require dual HDMI soles to output 120 footprints a second. But seriously, we'll miss your krazy quotes, Ken!Update -- SCEI statement: "Kutaragi has said that he has been considering this decision for some time. He stated that, in the six months since the appointment of Kazuo Hirai as President in December, the new generation of management, led by Mr. Hirai, has continued to develop. With the March introduction of PS3 in Europe completing the successful launch of PS3 worldwide, Mr. Kutaragi has identified SCE's Annual Shareholders' meeting in June as the ideal timing to pass on the torch to the new generation of management. Mr. Kutaragi will now apply his extensive technological knowledge and leadership skills to take on new challenges beyond the world of PlayStation. Sony and SCE will continue to seek Mr. Kutaragi's input and ideas from a broad perspective, while continuing to support him as much as possible in the realization of his dreams." Read - PlayStation Creator Plans to Retire (WSJ subscription reqd.)Read - Kutaragi to step down as Sony game unit CEO (IDG)
Sony's Ken Kutaragi leaving SCE chairman and CEO spots in June
It wasn't hard to see something like this coming, with Kaz Hirai swiping Ken's President position over Sony Computer Entertainment late last year, but now Sony has gone and made it official: Ken Kutaragi, creator of the PlayStation and all-around good looking guy, will retire from his chairman and CEO posts over Sony Computer Entertainment on June 19th. Kaz will fill the CEO spot, while Ken will maintain "honorary" status as chairman of the group and will hang around with Sony CEO Howard Stringer, acting as senior technology adviser. We only have Sony's word to go on that this is a "retirement," instead of being "relieved" in response to recent troubles in PlayStation land. But any way you slice it, Ken had a good run, sold a few consoles, and can most likely officially wash his hands of that PlayStation Eye 'fro-cam his successor will have the pleasure of pushing. [Warning: subscription required]
Ken Kutaragi insisted on Spider-Man font for PS3
File this under "Trivia": did you know that since Sony owns the rights to the Spider-Man font, it might have shaped the look and feel of the PlayStation 3? According to CVG, Kutaragi insisted on the use of the font, and it was one of the first design elements chosen for the console.According to Sony's Teiyu Goto, "If you really look at the PS3 contour carefully, it is rounded when viewing the console in profile. Rather than creating a typography with all the risks that entails, it was wiser to use the one from Spider-Man, for which Sony has the rights." Er, call us confused, but what are all the risks that creating a new font entails? Death and destruction raining down? Sharp edges? Cats and dogs living together? Thankfully, Kutaragi wasn't a hardcore Comic Sans fan, or who knows what the PS3 would have ended up looking like.
Rumor: Namco Bandai hard at work on three... games? [update 1]
Remember Cellius, the subsidiary company formed by Namco Bandai and the head of Ken Kutaragi? You'd be forgiven if your memory is a bit hazy on the matter, since the $824,000 investment had naught to show for its efforts at the time. Today brings a different story, however, along with a slew of scans supposedly escaping from the pages of a recent Famitsu issue. It would be wise to sprinkle the word "supposedly" throughout this entire post, as these images have migrated hands and servers so many times, it's difficult to pinpoint their source or level of authenticity.[Update 1: The caution was justified, it seems. Our Japanese translation slave brings up the following points: These likely aren't scans at all -- they're either mock-ups or leaked page template files. There is no confirmation that these are PS3 games or even games at all! Team Aces is behind the wheel, however, and they recently made Ace Combat 6 an Xbox 360 exclusive... If Cellius is involved, it is not evidenced here. While this new information doesn't rule out the possibility of these being PS3 exclusives anyway (the internets would certainly like to believe so), it would be wiser to take a step back and merely view these as new-gen game concepts. Though the stunning screenshots of Brave Arms, Chain Lim!t and Second Season 01 could represent target renders or similar technical tomfoolery, the abundance of guns, explosions and atmospheric lighting conveys quite a bit of excitement nonetheless. Take in the full scans images after the break.
Sony Sauce for your PS3 BBQ, sir? Only in Japan!
We all had a good laugh at the meat-lovin' ingenuity of the PS3 grill, but Japan is also well up on Sony-related humor. As a response to Sony's "SIXAXIS Emmy," someone at Rendering Ranger (a weird T-shirt brand in Japan) has decided to poke fun at The Machine by creating a condiment called "Actually, the Sauce is Sony." It seems to be just a repackaged version of Japan's Bull-Dog sauces, but the redesign is inspired. Ken Kutaragi's triumphant visage replaces the Bull-Dog logo; there's an "Emmy winner!" badge next to the accurately caps-locked SIXAXIS title; and there's the (world-)famous Sony grill render down below. The knockout joke is completed by the pricing structure of this Sony Sauce: the 20GB version should sell for ¥499 but has been reduced to ¥399 (though in this case, just for the sake of fun; not because of any lack of demand), while the 60GB tonkatsu model is listed as Open Price but sells for ¥599. "Actually, the Sauce is Sony" is on sale in very limited quantities in Japan's March Rabbit and Don Quijote discount stores.If any Western gamers can concoct a more elaborate and well-planned game industry joke, we'll tell the world all about it. Click through for more saucy pics (hee-hee) from Akiba Blog.
Ken Kutaragi to become Chairman of Cellius
BandaiNamco and SCEI today announced that they are forming a new Tokyo-based subsidiary company, Cellius, in a bid to develop fresh content for Sony's Cell Broadband Engine. Cellius will be in the hands of "PlayStation's dad", Ken Kutaragi, who will be appointed as the new company's Chairman. Initial investment from BandaiNamco and SCEI is approximately US$824,000; SCEI will have a 49% stake in Cellius, with BandaiNamco controlling a 51% share. Although there are no plans for Cellius to work directly on PS3 games, the new outfit will be producing "interactive entertainment" and "business contents" when its doors open on March 6. What those terms actually entail, we'll just have to wait and see, but perhaps Ken Kutaragi will now have a fair opportunity to show us what he was talking about at last year's Tokyo Game Show conference. Click through for the Japanese (PDF) press release.
