Shuhei Yoshida Discusses PS4 Developer Feedback and Indies

Speaking to the PlayStation Blog Sony's Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida has commented on this year's E3 press conference and how developer feedback helped shape the PS4 as well as the spate of indie games headed to the platform.

"It's amazing," he said. "I've been with PlayStation since the very beginning of the project in 1993 and some people reminded me of the way the passion and the vibe in the press conference was like the very first E3 in 1995, when we introduced the original PlayStation. And I agree. We are so excited that all the plans we worked on leading up to this year are coming together. We feel like what we have designed and aimed for are really connecting with people, and that's great."

Yoshida went on to speak about the feedback Sony has been getting from developers saying "They are so happy that they can just focus on the games. They don't have to spend so much time trying to understand the hardware. The progress that all the teams have made is great. That's a consistent message that I get. Many of the team members of the studios were already involved in the discussion of what PS4 should be, what DUALSHOCK 4 should be in terms of improvement from DUALSHOCK 3.

"They have a genuine passion for showing why PS4 is so special for playing games on. We can show the best of PS4 through our games," he added.

The PS4 is set to be released later this year for $399. Sony has 30 games in development for the console internally; 12 of which are new IP. Of Sony's first party titles 20 will be released within a year of the PS4's launch.  

Sony's launch window games for the PS4 include Knack, inFAMOUS: Second Son, Drive Club, Killzone: Shadow Fall and The Order: 1886. 

Commenting on why Sony considers it so important to support indie developers Yoshida said: "Because independant developers are making great, awesome games! Their passion, creativity and energy are at an all-time high. That's where the energy and some of the most exciting experiments and concepts are. Some of the best examples are last year's award winners, Journey and The Walking Dead." 

Over 500 developers are working on PS4 and many of them are indies attracted to the console by Sony's policy of not charging for game patches and the ability to self-publish.