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 infamous Nintendo PlayStation prototype, including playing a nearly completed game developed for the cancelled console.

In a MinnMax interview, Yoshida recounted his career journey at Sony, starting with his early collaboration with Ken Kutaragi, the "father of PlayStation." Joining Kutaragi's team in February 1993, during the original PlayStation's development, Yoshida and his colleagues were introduced to the Nintendo PlayStation prototype. He emphasized that this was a functional prototype, not just a concept.

Yoshida described playing an almost-finished game on the very day he started. He likened the game's style to a contemporary space shooter, possibly similar to Sega CD's Silpheed, which streamed assets from a CD. While he couldn't recall the developer's identity or the game's origin (U.S. or Japan), he expressed optimism about its potential survival. He noted the game's data was stored on a CD, suggesting a reasonable chance of its preservation in Sony's archives.

The Nintendo PlayStation remains a highly sought-after collector's item, a testament to its unreleased status and the intriguing "what-if" scenario it represents in gaming history. Its appearances at auctions and among collectors further highlight its rarity.

The prospect of this Sony-developed space shooter seeing release is intriguing, especially considering Nintendo's own precedent of releasing Star Fox 2 years after its cancellation. Perhaps this lost piece of gaming history could one day resurface.