Xbox, Nintendo Cause Shuhei Yoshida's Career Scares

Shuhei Yoshida, the former president of Worldwide Studios for Sony Interactive Entertainment, recently shared some of the most nerve-wracking moments of his career at PlayStation in an interview with MinnMax. One of these moments came when Microsoft released the Xbox 360 a year before the PlayStation 3, leaving Sony's potential customers at risk of missing out on the next generation of gaming. Yoshida described this as "very, very scary."

However, the moment that truly shocked Yoshida was when Nintendo announced that Monster Hunter 4 would be exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS. This announcement came as a complete surprise to Yoshida, especially given the franchise's huge success on the PlayStation Portable, where it had enjoyed two exclusive titles. To add insult to injury, Nintendo also drastically cut the price of the 3DS by $100, positioning it significantly cheaper than the PlayStation Vita. At the time, both the 3DS and Vita were priced at $250, but the price drop made the 3DS much more attractive to consumers.

Yoshida recounted his reaction to the announcement: "After launch, both Nintendo 3DS and Vita were $250 but they dropped $100. I was like, 'Oh my god'. And [then they] announced the biggest game... The biggest game on PSP was Monster Hunter. And that game is going to come out on Nintendo 3DS exclusively. I was like, 'Oh no.' That was the biggest shock."

Yoshida retired from Sony in January after over thirty years with the company, where he became a beloved figure and a public face of the PlayStation brand. His departure has allowed him to share previously untold stories and insights, including his thoughts on Sony's push towards live service games and his perspective on the potential for a remake or sequel to the cult classic Bloodborne.