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The origin of the PlayStation's now-iconic name might seem elusive to many fans, but Shuhei Yoshida says its conception came down to just one other device – the PC.
Speaking in a recent interview after leaving PlayStation last year, the former president of SIE Worldwide Studios for Sony tells MinnMax how the original console got its name – and no, it wasn't because of Nintendo. Despite Sony's platform initially coming to fruition thanks to a failed partnership with Nintendo, it was actually PlayStation's own so-called "father" Ken Kutaragi who came up with the idea for the console's name.
"I remember the PlayStation idea came from Ken Kutaragi himself," explains Yoshida. "He named it because people use [a] computer and call it [a] workstation." In contrast to the PC, the "workstation," Yoshida stresses that the PlayStation was just that – a device meant for play and not work – and even though the console went on to be successful, with Sony's own data showing over 102.4 million sales for the PS1, not everyone approved of the name at first.
"The US people didn't like it," Yoshida admits, laughing. "I remember US people [said], 'Well, PlayStation sounds very kiddy – childish.'" Judging by the PlayStation console's legacy and ongoing success, however, I'd argue it's safe to say that Kutaragi probably made the right choice with its name, regardless of opposing opinions at the time. More than three decades have passed since then, and PlayStation is going as strong as ever.
