Gabriel Stanford-ReisingerCompared to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 4 was a huge step up for both consumers and — especially — developers, in no small part because of console architect Mark Cerny. Years down the line, he reveals how he landed the role following the rise and fall (and rise again) of the PS3 following Ken Kutaragi’s departure.
Speaking with My Perfect Console, Cerny explained that they had basically fit a metaphorical Venn diagram — he spoke Japanese, understood games, understood software, and understood hardware. He basically approached Sony heads, including Shuhei Yoshida and PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai, to discuss the idea that he would take the position, to which he obviously got.
“The person needs to speak Japanese, understand games, understand software, and understand hardware. And when you make the Venn diagram for all of that, it just looked like me where all those circles intersected. So, I went to a couple of people, including Shu [Yoshida], in the Sony organisation, and I said, what if, y’know, what if I am the architect of the next console? And amazingly, the answer from [PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai at the time] was yes.”
Do you think the PS4 would’ve been as successful without Cerny’s involvement? Let us know below!