In 2013, Shuhei Yoshida served as President of Worldwide Studios, while Adam Boyes worked as VP of Third Party Relations. Both have since moved on to new roles, or, in Boyes’ case, a different company. Regardless, E3 2013 saw both become central to one of PlayStation 4’s most iconic marketing videos–PS4’s game-sharing clip. It was a jab at Microsoft that worked tremendously in Sony’s favor. Now Yoshida and Boyes have more or less recreated the video’s iconic imagery.
Earlier this morning, Yoshida shared an image on Twitter depicting his “sharing [a] good time” with Boyes at D.I.C.E. 2020. It’s both a treat to see those two united and an awesome call back to a much beloved moment in PlayStation history. Yoshida’s post below:
Sharing good time at DICE! #DICE2020 pic.twitter.com/UIH2V48B4X
— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) February 11, 2020
For comparison’s sake, check out the original “Used Game Instructional Video” from 2013, which has garnered more than 17 million views on PlayStation’s YouTube channel:
Given that Sony is officially out of E3 2020, such a marketing tactic is unlikely to be repeated in the lead up to PlayStation 5. Indeed, Sony’s untraditional roll out of news regarding PS5, thus far, suggests key information may not circulate in a tongue-in-cheek manner at all.
Times have certainly changed on other fronts, too. As noted above, neither Yoshida nor Boyes hold the positions they once did within Sony. Yoshida now leads PlayStation’s newly incorporated indie initiative. Meanwhile, Adam Boyes left the company in 2016, now serving as CEO for the Chicago-based Iron Galaxy Studios.
D.I.C.E. 2020 is currently underway in Las Vegas. The 23rd annual D.I.C.E. Awards ceremony takes place on February 13th.
[Source: Shuhei Yoshida on Twitter]