Key Takeaways
- Sony executives doubted the success of the PlayStation at first, even though it became very popular, because other companies failed to release their successful consoles.
- Ken Kuturagi faced skepticism from industry veterans about the release of the PS1, including Sony representatives.
- However, the console proved to be a huge success, with the dominance of the PlayStation brand continuing today as the PS5 outsells the Xbox Series X/S.
Former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Ken Kuturagi recently revealed that many people at Sony believed that the original PlayStation will not succeed. Considering the success of the PlayStation brand over the years, this is a surprising announcement.
The PlayStation 1 was released in 1994 in Japan and 1995 in North America. The fifth generation console was in direct competition with the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn, both platforms selling very well. The PlayStation has sold more than 102 million units, surpassing the PS2, PS4, Game Boy, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo DS. The first also marks the beginning of Sony's dominance in the console market, held by Nintendo in the previous two generations. However, this very successful project was not believed by Sony executives for a while.
Earlier this week, Ken Kuturagi spoke at the Tokyo Game Show, when he talked about the great difficulty of entering the console market with the first PlayStation. In 1993, Kuturagi led the PS1 development team, and they wanted to “share their passion” for the project before launch, talking to many people from many countries in the the industry. However, the SIE team was met with negativity, and many executives told them not to release the console, because “many companies” did the same and failed. Kuturagi even stated that “even within Sony, no one believed we would succeed.”
Ken Kutaragi said that many people did not think that the PlayStation would be a success
Even within Sony, no one believed we would succeed.
Ironically, the PS1 was a huge hit, and not only did the PlayStation 1 have many exclusive games, but it won the console wars for two generations. Kuturagi stayed with the company until 2007, overseeing the successful launch of the PS2, and left after the PS3 failed to achieve the same popularity.
Even today, classic PS1 games are still fondly remembered, just like the original Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Gran Turismoand others. The same can be said for the PlayStation 2, which became the best-selling console of all time.
Thirty years after the launch of the PS1, the PlayStation still a strong brand. The PS5 is estimated to outsell the Xbox Series X/S, with around 61.7 million units compared to 28.3 million sales of Microsoft's console. A world where Ken Kuturagi and his team abandoned the release of the PS1 due to executive opinion would be a completely different game market than it is today. Fortunately for all PlayStation fans, they didn't.
PlayStation (Original)
The PlayStation, sometimes known as the PS1 or PS One was Sony's first official entry into the console war with Nintendo. It belongs to the fifth generation of video game consoles and is locked horns with the Nintendo 64 and Sega Saturn.
- Mark
- Sony
- Original publication date
- September 9, 1995
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $299, £299
- weight
- 3.2 lbs
