We already knew he had one, but Shuhei
Yoshida, president of Sony Computer Entertainment’s Worldwide Studios, actually
owns two Wii Us.
Last month, Yoshida appeared as a guest on the
Japanese multi-media internet talk show, Kurokawa Juku. After general talks, the host opened the floor to questions from the audience, and that’s where a
reporter from Japanese game magazine Game Lab asked Yoshida why the Wii U sales numbers were so poor.
The question wasn’t exactly on topic
(Yoshida and a second guest, Keiji Inafune, were talking about indie games)
but Yoshida kept his composure and replied, “I own 2 Wii Us, myself.”
Yoshida went on, saying, “The latest Mario game is really good, too. I think
the Wii U is just getting started.” Yes, that was the president of SCE
Worldwide praising the Wii U. These things do happen.
Despite his position as a high-ranking exec
at Sony, Yoshida didn’t let that stop him from giving his frank and positive
opinion of rival competitor, Nintendo. “People can get together and enjoy [the
Wii U], it’s got plenty of wonderful games.” Yoshida said. “Nintendo helps
raise and teaches the fun of games to people just starting out. I think that’s
a very important thing in this industry.”
It’s pretty cool when someone in a position
like Yoshida’s can remind us that it’s not all about single-minded brand
loyalty. That said, my opinion of Sony did go up a few notches because of him.
ゲームラボ [ゲームラボ]
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To contact the author of this post, write to cogitoergonihilATgmail.com or find him on Twitter @tnakamura8
