Behind the scenes of the development of the home video game console "PlayStation." Featured on October 11th's "New Project X: The Challengers."

Note: the original Japanese article can be found at:
https://www.4gamer.net/games/991/G999101/20251003033/

Editorial Department: Chihiro | 2025/10/03 07:23 (UTC)

NHK’s Broadcasting Department has announced today (October 3, 2025) that the documentary program “New Project X: The Challengers” will air a special episode titled “The Game Machine Revolution by Heretics – A New Move for Electronics Manufacturers into a New Era,” which delves behind the scenes of the development of the home gaming console PlayStation, on October 11 at 8:00 PM on NHK General.

Image Gallery No.006 thumbnail / Behind-the-scenes look at the development of the home video game console “PlayStation.” Featured in the October 11 broadcast of “New Project X: The Challengers”

This episode will explore the behind-the-scenes story of PlayStation, which has been on the market for nearly 30 years, revealing the tale of its revolutionary birth. Highlights include the development of a “phantom prototype” through collaboration between Sony and Nintendo; the abrupt suspension of that project and the subsequent shift toward independent console development; overcoming technical barriers to achieve real-time 3D graphics; and a fateful encounter with semiconductor engineers from Toshiba.

The program features appearances by Ken Kutaragi, central figure in the PlayStation project, music producer Shigemi Maruyama, and game creator Yasuo Sakagami.

Image Gallery No.002 thumbnail / Behind-the-scenes look at the development of the home video game console “PlayStation.” Featured in the October 11 broadcast of “New Project X: The Challengers”

Ken Kutaragi

Image Gallery No.003 thumbnail / Behind-the-scenes look at the development of the home video game console “PlayStation.” Featured in the October 11 broadcast of “New Project X: The Challengers”

Shigemi Maruyama

Image Gallery No.004 thumbnail / Behind-the-scenes look at the development of the home video game console “PlayStation.” Featured in the October 11 broadcast of “New Project X: The Challengers”

Yasuo Sakagami

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Listening Report: “Kurokawa Seminar (X)” – Ken Kutaragi, Creator of PlayStation, and His “Guardian,” Producer Shigemi Maruyama, Discuss Japanese Entertainment

The talk event “Kurokawa Seminar (X): A Discussion on the Future of Entertainment,” hosted by media content researcher Fumio Kurokawa, was held in Tokyo on June 27, 2013. The guests were Shigemi Maruyama and Ken Kutaragi, central figures behind the PlayStation project. How did these two visionaries perceive the current state and future of the gaming industry?

[June 28, 2013, 4:56 PM]

Official NHK X Account

“The Game Machine Revolution by Heretics – A New Move for Electronics Manufacturers into a New Era”
【Broadcast Scheduled】October 11 (Sat) 8:00 PM – 8:48 PM
— Highlights and MC comments revealed —

There are always challengers in any era. Even without praise or spotlight, there is relentless dedication to work. A collective documentary that delivers passion and courage straight from the heart — “New Project X: The Challengers.” This October 11th episode uncovers the behind-the-scenes story of the world’s best-selling home video game console brand: PlayStation.

In the early 1990s, when 2D games dominated, an engineer at an electronics manufacturer dared to dream of something seemingly impossible — creating a home gaming console capable of real-time 3D graphics. Behind this vision stood others who shared that same dream and crossed organizational boundaries to pursue development. Now, nearly 30 years after its launch, the revolutionary story of how PlayStation was born is finally revealed.

【Highlights】
A dramatic tale of how an electronics manufacturer changed the world through game console development. This journey brought together “heretical” technologists with a dream — transforming games into entertainment accessible to adults — and fateful encounters with semiconductor engineers long overlooked by mainstream industry. Despite widespread skepticism, they integrated 3D technology to create a groundbreaking, immersive gaming machine. Today, gaming surpasses the market size of music and film, becoming the dominant form of entertainment. This is the passionate drama of those who pioneered its dawn.

Image Gallery No.001 thumbnail / Behind-the-scenes look at the development of the home video game console “PlayStation.” Featured in the October 11 broadcast of “New Project X: The Challengers”

▼ The heretic engineer Kutaragi — From a sudden surprise intervention to the creation of the Super Famicom’s sound chip, leading to Sony and Nintendo’s “phantom prototype”
▼ Sudden development halt… Amid internal criticism, they made their bold decision: “Let’s do it!” and pursued independent console development
▼ Breaking through barriers to achieve real-time 3D graphics — A fateful meeting with semiconductor engineers at Toshiba
▼ No software developers for an electronics manufacturer’s game machine — The pioneering efforts of Namco and the life-or-death breakthrough of Tyrannosaurus

Image Gallery No.002 thumbnail / Behind-the-scenes look at the development of the home video game console “PlayStation.” Featured in the October 11 broadcast of “New Project X: The Challengers”

【Development Leader Ken Kutaragi】

Image Gallery No.003 thumbnail / Behind-the-scenes look at the development of the home video game console “PlayStation.” Featured in the October 11 broadcast of “New Project X: The Challengers”

【Music Producer Shigemi Maruyama】

Image Gallery No.004 thumbnail / Behind-the-scenes look at the development of the home video game console “PlayStation.” Featured in the October 11 broadcast of “New Project X: The Challengers”

【Game Software Developer Yasuo Sakagami】

【MC Comments】
＜Yama Kōji＞
Once known as the “King of Electronics,” Sony has transformed into a global entertainment company centered on film, music, and games. Among its businesses, gaming is now the cornerstone. The development of PlayStation marked the beginning of that journey. Don’t miss this moment — witness the days when unknown engineers poured their passion into innovation.

＜Mori Hanako＞
Today, “games” are deeply embedded in our everyday lives. But how many people could have envisioned such a future just 40 years ago? This episode tells the story of brilliant minds who calculated that very future. Packed with insights on turning imagination into reality.

【MCs Yama Kōji and Mori Hanako with Development Leader Ken Kutaragi】 Image Gallery No.005 thumbnail / Behind-the-scenes look at the development of the home video game console “PlayStation.” Featured in the October 11 broadcast of “New Project X: The Challengers”

New Project X: The Challengers
“The Game Machine Revolution by Heretics – A New Move for Electronics Manufacturers into a New Era”
【Broadcast Scheduled】October 11 (Sat) 8:00 PM – 8:48 PM
【MCs】Kōji Yama, Hanako Mori | 【Narrator】Tomoro Wada
★ Simulcast and on-demand streaming available on NHK ONE (New NHK Plus): https://www.web.nhk/