Friends Per Second Shuhei Yoshida talks life after Sony, VR, the the future of the console business | FPS Podcast #80
Oct 11, 2025
Shuhei Yoshida, a veteran industry executive and former head of PlayStation's indie initiatives, shares insights on his life after Sony. He discusses his freelance work advising indie studios and his role in advocating for VR. Shuhei explores the growth of Japan's indie scene and innovative game ideas that capture originality. He also delves into the future of VR gaming, emphasizing hardware advancements and the rising potential of social VR. Additionally, he analyzes the current console landscape, predicting exciting developments across platforms.
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Game Pass Became A Complex Bundle
- Game Pass's tier reshuffle bundles cloud features and third-party libraries but raised Ultimate's price significantly.
- The product felt like a mixed hodgepodge of extras that many subscribers didn't explicitly ask for.
Subscriptions Need Massive Scale To Work
- Game Pass economics relied on hitting very large subscriber numbers to justify day-one releases of expensive AAA titles.
- If growth undershoots, day-one inclusion and high development costs create a financial correction pressure.
Expect Niche, Branded Console Offers
- Expect console offerings to become niche or partner-branded rather than mass-market flagship devices.
- Treat new consoles as enthusiast or white-label products rather than core business drivers.