Shuhei Yoshida Reflects on Nearly 30 Years of Creators at CEDEC 2026
Yoshida's keynote clarifies his long-held position in the creator-versus-IP debate, choosing the creator, a stance that shaped his work with both AAA and indie developers.
Reporting from 1 source: GameBusiness.jp.
At CEDEC 2026, Shuhei Yoshida delivered a keynote recounting his nearly 30-year career, from joining Sony Computer Entertainment in 1993 as employee number 32 to founding yosp Inc. He discussed his involvement with 'Crash Bandicoot' and 'Demon's Souls,' and stated his career-long stance of choosing the creator over IP.
Shuhei Yoshida used his CEDEC 2026 keynote to trace a career that began in 1993 when he joined Sony Computer Entertainment as employee number 32. He went on to lead first-party development for PlayStation in the United States and later founded yosp Inc. to support indie developers.
Yoshida framed his approach around a single question: creator or IP? He said he always chose the creator. He also shared a story from 'Crash Bandicoot,' where Kazuhiko Torishima, then editor-in-chief of V Jump, told him the character would not sell in Japan, prompting a redesign and rebalanced gameplay that helped the third game sell over one million copies in Japan.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.