{"rewrite":{"id":"r_6881bafe388d9c2abd436ac8","clusterId":"c_1380183476d5c2f0ecab55d6","slug":"shuhei-yoshida-recounts-bloodborne-demon-s-souls-missteps-at-cedec2026","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Shuhei Yoshida Recounts Bloodborne, Demon's Souls Missteps at CEDEC2026","summary":"Shuhei Yoshida, former Sony Interactive Entertainment executive and current yosp Co., Ltd. representative director, delivered a keynote lecture at CEDEC2026 on July 22. The 80-minute talk, titled \"The Wonderful Games, Creators, and Creativity I Have Encountered,\" covered his career from the original PlayStation era through his current indie game advocacy. Yoshida discussed the development of titles including Crash Bandicoot, Ape Escape, ICO, and Journey. He admitted to initially misunderstanding FromSoftware's Demon's Souls, calling it a \"difficult game\" and failing to see creator Hidetaka Miyazaki's intent, which led Sony to pass on self-publishing. The game later became a global hit through Atlus and Bandai Namco. Yoshida said that experience taught him to \"correctly understand what kind of user experience the developer is trying to create.\" He later co-developed Bloodborne with FromSoftware for the PS4. Yoshida called Bloodborne the \"best Soulslike\" and expressed hope for a remaster or sequel, noting the lack of a PS5 version or PC port remains a \"mystery.\" The lecture also covered indie titles such as Fall Guys, Stray, and Nine Sols. Yoshida concluded by saying he wants to continue supporting indie creators worldwide.","whyItMatters":"Yoshida's public admission of his early misjudgment of Demon's Souls and the subsequent strained relationship with FromSoftware offers a rare, firsthand account of how a major platform holder's internal skepticism shaped the trajectory of a genre-defining franchise.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eYoshida covered 26 titles in his 80-minute keynote, which is available for time-shift viewing through August 3 for registered attendees. He opened by stating that \u0026#34;creator or IP\u0026#34; is the \u0026#34;ultimate choice in the game industry\u0026#34; and that he has always prioritized creators.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn \u003ci\u003eCrash Bandicoot\u003c/i\u003e, Yoshida recalled visiting Shueisha to pitch the game, where Kazuhiko Torishima said, \u0026#34;It will never sell in Japan.\u0026#34; That criticism led to a character redesign and difficulty adjustments. For \u003ci\u003eGran Turismo\u003c/i\u003e, creator Kazunori Yamauchi prepared by incorporating realistic handling into \u003ci\u003eMotor Toon Grand Prix\u003c/i\u003e after the project was initially rejected. Yoshida called Yamauchi a rare creator who combines the roles of director and producer.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYoshida described \u003ci\u003eApe Escape\u003c/i\u003e as a game built around the DUALSHOCK controller\u0026#39;s two analog sticks, with movement on the left stick and actions on the right. He said he enjoyed thinking about what could be done with two sticks, such as hula hoops and propellers. Regarding \u003ci\u003eICO\u003c/i\u003e, frame rate issues forced a port from the original PlayStation to the PS2, and Yoshida said he was not involved with the game until the end.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn \u003ci\u003eRatchet \u0026amp; Clank\u003c/i\u003e, Yoshida noted that in the U.S., industry-level connections and know-how sharing between companies surprised him, contrasting with Japan\u0026#39;s tendency toward secrecy. \u003ci\u003eGod of War\u003c/i\u003e, born from that open culture, became SIE\u0026#39;s first first-party title to win Game of the Year. For \u003ci\u003eUncharted\u003c/i\u003e, the goals were \u0026#34;realism\u0026#34; and \u0026#34;comfortable controls,\u0026#34; and its engine was used by multiple companies for PS3 development.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYoshida called \u003ci\u003eJourney\u003c/i\u003e the title he is most proud of in his career, saying even a small indie game can move people\u0026#39;s emotions. His favorite indie game is \u003ci\u003eFall Guys\u003c/i\u003e, and he posted videos about it daily on social media. He named \u003ci\u003eNine Sols\u003c/i\u003e his \u0026#34;No. 1 game of 2024\u0026#34; and recommended it to action fans. On \u003ci\u003eBeast of Reincarnation\u003c/i\u003e, scheduled for release this year, Yoshida said with a smile, \u0026#34;It\u0026#39;s so fun I want to go home and play it right away.\u0026#34;\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Yoshida called Bloodborne the 'best Soulslike' and said the lack of a PS5 version, remaster, or sequel is a 'mystery.' He hopes for future releases.","twitterPost":"Shuhei Yoshida admitted he misjudged Demon's Souls at first, calling it 'difficult.' Sony passed on publishing it. The lesson: 'Understand the user experience the creator wants to create.'","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"At CEDEC2026, former Sony exec Shuhei Yoshida reflected on his career, admitting he initially misjudged Demon's Souls and calling Bloodborne the 'best Soulslike.' He also discussed the birth of the analog stick, indie game advocacy, and his pride in Journey.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"GAME Watch\",\"url\":\"https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/kikaku/2126894.html\",\"title\":\"Shuhei Yoshida Talks Behind-the-Scenes Stories of Numerous Classic Games [CEDEC2026]\"},{\"source\":\"Denfaminicogamer\",\"url\":\"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/?p=1589147\",\"title\":\"Shuhei Yoshida Talks About \\\"Great Games I've Met\\\": Crash Bandicoot, Uncharted, Ghost of Tsushima, Journey-Reflecting on Over 30 Years of Involvement with Countless Masterpieces from the Original PlayStation [CEDEC2026]\"},{\"source\":\"Denfaminicogamer\",\"url\":\"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/kikakuthetower/2607223i\",\"title\":\"Shuhei Yoshida Talks About the Great Games He Has Encountered: Crash Bandicoot, Uncharted, Ghost of Tsushima, Journey-Reflecting on Over 30 Years of Involvement with Countless Masterpieces from the Original PlayStation [CEDEC2026]\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":15462,"outputTokens":1801,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1784720268,"createdAt":"2026-07-22T11:32:32.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-22T11:35:45.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-22T11:32:32.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_1380183476d5c2f0ecab55d6","canonicalTitle":"吉田修平氏が語る数々の名作ゲーム誕生秘話【CEDEC2026】","representativeArticleId":"a_ca15f1ef6e70b0e93a11556c","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Bloodborne\"],\"studios\":[\"FromSoftware\"],\"people\":[\"吉田修平\",\"宮崎英高\"],\"type\":\"event\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-22T06:24:31.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-22T11:23:51.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-22T11:35:45.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"GAME Watch (Impress)","url":"https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/kikaku/2126894.html","title":"吉田修平氏が語る数々の名作ゲーム誕生秘話【CEDEC2026】"},{"source":"Denfaminicogamer","url":"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/?p=1589147","title":"吉田修平氏が”出会った素晴らしいゲーム”を語る。『クラッシュ・バンディクー』『アンチャーテッド』『Ghost of Tsushima』『風ノ旅ビト』──初代プレステから数々の名作に関わってきた同氏が、30年以上の歩みを振り返る【CEDEC2026】"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Bloodborne"],"studios":["FromSoftware"],"people":["吉田修平","宮崎英高"],"type":"event","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Shuhei Yoshida gave an 80-minute keynote lecture at CEDEC2026 on July 22, 2026, titled \"The Wonderful Games, Creators, and Creativity I Have Encountered.\"","Yoshida called Bloodborne the \"best Soulslike\" and expressed hope for a remaster or sequel, noting the lack of a PS5 version or PC port remains a \"mystery.\"","Yoshida said Ghost of Tsushima, one of his last projects at SIE, sold 1 million copies in Japan.","Yoshida named Journey as the title he is most proud of in his career."]}