Shuhei Yoshida, former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment and current PlayStation Independent Developers Initiative, will receive the BAFTA Games Fellowship. The award, presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, honors the careers of leading industry figures.
Shuhei Yoshida is one of PlayStation’s most prominent faces and a beloved figure in the industry. He joined the Sony team early on and is now the director of the Independent Developers Initiative which helps release independent projects on the system. He was also Director of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios from 2008 to 2019, overseeing many of Sony’s best-known titles.
As head of the Independent Developers Initiative, he acts as an advocate for small titles. This also applies to social networks. Jane Millichop, chief executive of BAFTA, said this was the main reason for awarding the scholarship to Shuhei Yoshida, as well as his long career with the company.
Industry legend, gaming pioneer and indie game enthusiast – it can only be @yosp!
We are honored to award Shuhei Yoshida the BAFTA Games Scholarship 2023, BAFTA’s highest honor for the incredible impact he has had on the games industry.#BAFTAGamesAwards pic.twitter.com/KtK6vmms5w
— BAFTA Games (@BAFTAGames) March 16, 2023
The BAFTA Fellowship award was originally introduced in the UK in 1971, honoring film personalities such as Alfred Hitchcock, its first recipient. The BAFTA Games Awards were introduced in 2003 and the Fellowship award was transferred to influential video game personalities in 2007. The first winner was Will Wright, creator of The Simswhile other winners include Shigeru Miyamoto and Hideo Kojima.
Shuhei Yoshida will receive his BAFTA scholarship at the BAFTA Games awards ceremony on March 30, 2023. The ceremony will be streamed live on Twitch.