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

Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida recently shared fascinating insights into his early career, including his experience with the legendary Nintendo PlayStation prototype. In an interview with MinnMax, Yoshida recounted his journey at Sony, starting with his work alongside Ken Kutaragi, the visionary behind the original PlayStation. Yoshida joined Kutaragi's team in February 1993, during the development of the console that would ultimately launch. However, a unique opportunity awaited new recruits: access to the Nintendo PlayStation.

"Everybody who joined [Ken Kutaragi]'s team around that time, the first thing they showed us was that Nintendo Sony PlayStation, a working prototype," Yoshida revealed. "They even had a nearly completed game. I got to play it on my first day."

The game itself remains a mystery. Yoshida compared it to a contemporary space shooter, possibly Sega CD's Silpheed, highlighting its reliance on CD-based asset streaming. He couldn't recall the developer or its origin (U.S. or Japan). Yet, regarding the game's potential survival in Sony's archives, Yoshida offered a hopeful outlook:

"I wouldn't be surprised," he stated. "It was on a CD, so… yeah."

The Nintendo PlayStation remains a highly coveted artifact, a testament to a potential partnership that never materialized. Its unreleased status and the allure of a "what-if" scenario have fueled its popularity among collectors and auction enthusiasts.

The prospect of this unreleased space shooter seeing the light of day is intriguing. It's not unprecedented; Nintendo famously released Star Fox 2 years after its cancellation. Perhaps, one day, this lost piece of gaming history might finally emerge.