In a recent podcast, Shuhei Yoshida elaborated on why he thinks Japan Studio closed. The full statement, courtesy of Video Games Chronicle, is as follows:
“During my time, people give me credit, but one of the things I was not successful at was having a successful service game, and the other thing is I was not able to have amazingly successful games made in Japan. Other than Gran Turismo, we had many great products but didn’t really have many triple-A-level successful products…
Most of the IPs that Japan Studio had were in that smaller double-A sized group and the market became really difficult for these kinds of games. For example, after Gravity Rush 2, [director Keiichiro Toyama] tried to come up with a new concept, but we were not able to greenlight any of his new concepts, even though they were really interesting.”
Recently, Yoshida departed Sony after a historic 30-year career. In his many reviews since his departure, he has made several comments about his tenure. These include saying that Jim Ryan forced him to either lead the indie division or leave the company.
He also previously stated that PlayStation is waiting for Hidetaka Miyazaki of From Software to approve a new Bloodborne title rather than the other way around. These comments have varied from personal theories to actual allusions. It is unknown where his comments on Japan Studio fit into the spectrum.
Recently, Sony announced that Hideaki Nishino will be the president and sole CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. This will go into effect on April 1, 2025. Previously, he was a joint-CEO alongside Herman Hulst. According to a PR statement, while Hulst will still continue to serve CEO of the Studio Business Group, he will now report directly to Nishino.
