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 recruits were introduced to the Nintendo PlayStation prototype. As Yoshida emphasized, this was a functional prototype, even featuring a nearly finished game.

"Everyone joining Ken Kutaragi's team around that time saw the Nintendo Sony PlayStation prototype first," Yoshida stated. "It was already working, and they had almost finished a game. I played it on my first day."

The game, reminiscent of a contemporary space shooter like Sega CD's Silpheed (which streamed assets from the CD), remains largely a mystery. Yoshida couldn't recall the developer or its origin (U.S. or Japan). However, regarding the game's potential survival in Sony's archives, he offered a hopeful outlook:

"I wouldn't be surprised," Yoshida commented. "It was on a CD, so... yeah."

The Nintendo PlayStation remains a highly sought-after collector's item, largely due to its unreleased status and its representation of a potential alternative history for Sony and Nintendo. Its prototype has frequently appeared in auctions and among collectors.

The possibility of this Sony-developed space shooter seeing release is intriguing. It wouldn't be unprecedented; Nintendo famously released Star Fox 2 years after its cancellation. Perhaps this lost piece of gaming history might one day resurface.