Shuhei Yoshida, a former executive at Sony, believes the first PlayStation was instrumental in the rise of FromSoftware as a game developer, ultimately leading to the creation of the game Bloodborne.
In a recent conversation on the My Perfect Console podcast with Simon Parkin, Sony’s Masayuki Yoshida explained how the shift from game cartridges to CDs allowed FromSoftware to become a video game developer. Yoshida remembered Sony, then new to the console market, trying to attract developers like Atlus and Namco to the original PlayStation. Cartridges were costly to produce and had limited storage space, while CDs were cheaper, faster to make, and could hold significantly more data. This presented FromSoftware with a chance to enter the gaming industry.
Yoshida explained that companies no longer had to wait months for new game copies to become available. With the PlayStation’s CD-ROM technology, production could be turned around in just three or four days if a game was popular. He used FromSoftware as an example – a company originally focused on business software. Seeing the potential of the PlayStation, they decided to become a video game publisher and invested in the industry.
Parkin pointed out that Bloodborne was released later on, and Yoshida confirmed that, yes, all the preceding work ultimately resulted in that fantastic game.
Yoshida readily acknowledged the games that influenced Bloodborne’s development. He explained that getting companies like Atlus to support the new PlayStation console was challenging, but the console’s strong 3D graphics ultimately proved its potential.
According to industry experts at the time, the Sega Saturn was expected to be more successful than the PlayStation, largely due to Sega’s established experience. However, the PlayStation’s ability to handle 3D graphics and the new business possibilities offered by CD-ROMs ultimately proved more appealing. While the Saturn also utilized CD-ROMs, the PlayStation benefited from strong 3D game support, starting with Namco’s Ridge Racer. Later, key titles like Capcom’s Resident Evil and, crucially, Squaresoft’s Final Fantasy VII, really solidified the PlayStation’s dominance.
Yoshida shared that Hironobu Sakaguchi, the producer, wanted to make games feel like movies. He became disappointed with Nintendo’s continued use of cartridges as the SNES transitioned to the Nintendo 64. This made it easier for Sony to persuade Squaresoft to release Final Fantasy VII on PlayStation – a game Parkin pointed out was initially intended for either the SNES or N64. Ultimately, Sakaguchi and his team at Squaresoft recognized the potential of using CDs.
So, Sakaguchi-san really envisioned Final Fantasy as this big, cinematic experience, almost like a movie. And honestly, the business side saw how cool the CD-ROM format was – it was a big opportunity. I don’t know exactly what went down between Sega and Sony, but we had a fantastic negotiator at Sony Music Entertainment, my boss, who really helped seal the deal.
Yoshida described getting Final Fantasy VII for PlayStation as “amazing.” He didn’t recall how Nintendo reacted at the time, but he figured they “must have been really upset.”
While many fans are hoping for it, it doesn’t look like Bloodborne will be returning to our screens anytime soon. Industry expert Jeff Grubb reports that there’s been no movement on a PC version, remake, or remaster of the popular game. Although anything could happen, it seems FromSoftware’s Hidetaka Miyazaki is currently too busy with other projects, as suggested earlier this year, leaving fans to anxiously await any potential news.
FromSoftware is developing Elden Ring for the next Nintendo Switch (currently planned for release in 2026, to allow for further refinement) and a brand new, Switch-exclusive game called The Duskbloods. They’re also still working on Elden Ring: Nightreign, and its upcoming downloadable content, The Forsaken Hollows, will be available on both consoles and PC starting December 4th.
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2025-11-12 21:15