Key points
- Sony executives doubted the success of the original PlayStation, despite it becoming a huge success, as other companies had failed to release their own successful consoles.
- Ken Kuturagi faced skepticism from industry veterans regarding the release of the PS1, including representatives from Sony.
- However, the console proved to be a huge success, with the PlayStation brand's dominance continuing to this day as the PS5 outsells the Xbox Series
Former Sony Interactive Entertainment president Ken Kuturagi recently revealed that many people at Sony believed the original PlayStation it would fail. Considering how successful the PlayStation brand has been over the years, that's a pretty surprising statement.
The PlayStation 1 was released in 1994 in Japan and 1995 in North America. The fifth generation console competed directly against the Nintendo 64 and Sega Saturn, significantly outselling both platforms. The PlayStation has sold over 102 million units, surpassed only by the PS2, PS4, Game Boy, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo DS. Its debut also marks the beginning of Sony's dominance of the console market, held by Nintendo for the previous two generations. However, for a while this highly successful project was not given much credence even by Sony executives.
Earlier this week, Ken Kuturagi spoke at the Tokyo Game Show, when he talked about the main difficulties he encountered in entering the console market with the first PlayStation. In 1993, Kuturagi was head of the PS1 development team and they wanted to “share their passion” for the project before launch, talking to many people from different countries about the industry. However, the SIE team was received negatively, with many executives telling them not to release the console, as “multiple companies” did the same and were unsuccessful. Kuturagi even revealed that “even within Sony, no one believed we would be successful.”
Ken Kutaragi claims that many people didn't think the PlayStation would be a success
Even within Sony, no one believed we would be successful.
Ironically, the PS1 was a huge success, and not only did the PlayStation 1 have many exclusive games, but it also won the console wars for two consecutive generations. Kuturagi remained at the company until 2007, overseeing the successful launch of the PS2, and left after the PS3 failed to gain the same popularity.
Even today, gamers fondly remember some classic PS1 games, like the original Final Fantasy7, Solid metal gear, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Gran Turismoand others. The same can be said for the PlayStation 2, which over time became the best-selling console of all time.
Three decades after the launch of the PS1, the PlayStation the brand continues to be strong. The PS5 is estimated to significantly outsell the Xbox Series A world in which Ken Kuturagi and his team gave up on releasing the PS1 due to executives' opinions would likely be a completely different gaming market than the one that exists today. Luckily for all PlayStation fans, they didn't.
PlayStation (original)
The PlayStation, sometimes known as the PS1 or PS One, was Sony's first formal foray into the console wars with Nintendo. It belonged to the fifth generation of video game consoles and came close to the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn.
- Brand
- Sony
- Original release date
- September 9, 1995
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $299, £299
- Weight
- 3.2 lbs
