Sony Veteran Remembers 'Almost Finished' Video Game for the Canceled Nintendo PlayStation Console

Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida recently shared insights into his experience with the unreleased Nintendo PlayStation prototype, including playing a nearly completed game developed for the cancelled console.

In a MinnMax interview, Yoshida recounted his career at Sony, starting with his early work alongside Ken Kutaragi, the "father of PlayStation." Joining Kutaragi's team in February 1993, during the original PlayStation's development, Yoshida and other new hires were introduced to the Nintendo PlayStation prototype. "Everybody who joined [Ken Kutaragi]'s team around that time, the first thing they showed us was that Nintendo Sony PlayStation, like a prototype already working," Yoshida stated. He even played an almost finished game on the system his first day.

The game, reminiscent of a contemporary space shooter like Sega CD's Silpheed, streamed assets from a CD. Yoshida, however, couldn't recall the developer's identity or the game's origin (U.S. or Japan). Regarding the game's potential survival in Sony's archives, he expressed optimism: "I wouldn't be surprised...it was like a CD, so… yeah."

The Nintendo PlayStation remains a highly sought-after collector's item, a testament to its unreleased status and the "what-if" scenario it represents for Nintendo and Sony. Its prototype has commanded significant attention in auctions and collector circles.

The possibility of this Sony space shooter seeing the light of day is intriguing, not unprecedented. Nintendo's release of Star Fox 2 years after its cancellation provides a precedent. Perhaps this lost piece of gaming history could yet be unearthed.