Industry Veteran and Key PSVR Advocate Shuhei Yoshida Departs Sony

Shuhei Yoshida, fondly known in the gaming world as ‘Shu’, has officially closed the curtains on his nearly 32-year career at Sony.

Back in November, Yoshida shared his plan to exit, marking January 15th, 2025, as his retirement date. Now, the former President of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios has said his goodbyes to the company.

Yoshida posted a light-hearted farewell tweet showing a lively party, reminding everyone of his enduring presence and influence over the years (see his Twitter post from January 14th, 2025).

Reflecting on his time at Sony, Yoshida shared in a PlayStation blog interview, “I’ve been with PlayStation right from its inception, and marking my 31st year with them felt like a milestone. Hitting the 30-year mark made me ponder a change. Sony’s in a great place right now. I have a deep love for the PS5 and the exciting games it brings. Plus, I’ve admired the rise of a new generation of leadership who I respect immensely. I’m genuinely thrilled about PlayStation’s future.”

Throughout the PS3 and PS4 eras, Yoshida played a crucial role in bringing to life some of Sony’s most beloved franchises, including Gran Turismo, The Last of Us, and Uncharted.

Beyond games, Yoshida’s legacy includes steering Sony’s gaming division through transformative phases, balancing hardware and software development, and building bridges with both ‘AAA’ and indie game developers. He championed this spirit during his later years as Head of Indies Initiative at PlayStation after stepping down as Worldwide Studios President.

One of Yoshida’s standout contributions was his commitment to VR. He was instrumental in the development and promotion of PSVR, pushing to make virtual reality more accessible by integrating it with the PS4.

First introduced as Project Morpheus at GDC 2014, Yoshida dedicated his efforts to advocating for Sony’s VR initiatives. He was a key public face at events and worked tirelessly with developers to ensure a robust lineup of VR titles for the platform.

His focus on an affordable PSVR pricing model alongside a diverse content lineup strategically positioned the headset against more expensive PC VR systems, where the original Oculus Rift and HTC Vive required powerful setups to run smoothly.

Though Yoshida hasn’t disclosed his next move, he seems keen to stay in the gaming industry. Recently, he announced his involvement in voice acting for Kaizen Game Works’ upcoming game, Promise Mascot Agency, where he’ll voice a unique, bird-like character named ‘MonouGe’.

Yoshida’s candid and optimistic approach has made a lasting impact, and here at Road to VR, we extend our best wishes for his future endeavors. 吉田さん、ありがとうございます。(Thank you very much, Yoshida-san!)