Want to know what the man behind Gran Turismo thinks about the PS3 and the
state of the gaming industry? Kazunori Yamauchi, the President of Polyphony
Digital, and VP Development SCEI gives his thoughts on those topics and a few
others in this brief Q&A.
When you first started working in the games industry did you ever think it
would be as big as it is now? And when you first started playing videogames did
you ever imagine they could be this cool?
No I did not expect the game business to expand the way it did, nor did I think
games would be considered "cool" when I first started playing. However, when we
started the PlayStation format, our most important objective was to make games a
cool thing. To think that has been accomplished brings a feeling of great
satisfaction.
What have been your favorite PlayStation projects to work on?
That would have to be having been part of the start-up team for PlayStation.
Software strategies, hardware design, or details of the designs of the
controller were all decided by this small group. My family runs a cram school,
and the students helped us by being the first testers of the PlayStation
controller, which was then still in development. Hardware teams and software
teams worked closely together in a family-like atmosphere to help the
PlayStation project move forward.
With the advent of PS3, are there any concepts that have you've been dreaming
about for years that, with the new technology, can now be brought to fruition?
Though difficult to explain in detail at this time, perhaps I can share the
possibilities in an abstract way. The PlayStation 3 is the first piece of
hardware allowing photo-realistic computer graphics, and is the first game
hardware that can perform calculations for physics simulation to the level of
our satisfaction. With a matrix of such elements, a new world of entertainment
is about to unfold. This is the beginning of a world, different to that of what
we have called "games" up to today.
Where do you see the future of gaming, what areas do you think will change in
the future?
I see the future of gaming changing, as it shifts away from packaged products,
to service via network. This will vary from casual and open loosely coupled
services, to more tightly coupled services for MMORPGs.
Do you feel we've had the 'golden age' of gaming, or are we seeing it now?
I feel we are seeing it now. However I don't think the industry can continue
linear growth in the form we see today. Rather, I would think the dynamic
industry structure will change form as it continues to grow.
If you could transport yourself into a game which one would it be?
Gran Turismo. I would then be able to drive 'till I die. Car – my favourite!
What's your funniest PlayStation moment at E3?
This was back in 1999 when we had GT2 showing at E3. As always, we worked until
the very last minute at the Polyphony Digital studio in Japan to prepare the
demo version for the show. Qualities we had hoped for were difficult to achieve,
and I remember spending 100 hours in the development room prior to departure,
with no sleep at all. I started sleeping the instant I was seated on my plane to
LA, and did not wake up until we had arrived. I didn't even take advantage of
the seat reclining, nor go to the restroom throughout the flight, and I cannot
recall take-off and landing either. I had warped from Tokyo to LA in a blink of
an eye.
Describe, in ten words or less, what sums up PlayStation for you?
PlayStation is not just a platform, it's a movement.