Nitrous
09-29-2005, 05:43 PM
Ten years ago on this very day, with Britpop booming and Tony Blair still simply the leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition, Sony launched the PlayStation in the UK – and changed the video games industry forever.
All clichés apply. It was a sea change, a step-change, a landmark, year zero, epochal. Reach for any superlative, it fits.
A decade later, the market’s biggest players have paid tribute to the brand that was our passport to the cultural and commercial big leagues. From the High Street, GAME’s UK chief executive officer Lisa Morgan offered: “There’s no doubt that neither the industry nor GAME would be where we are today without PlayStation – and the recent PSP launch showed that the magic is still alive ten years on.”
Greg Ingham, CEO of the magazine giant Future, added: “Having succeeded with PSOne, Sony’s greatest success was to succeed again. No one else had done that.
“And despite the occasional scraps and scrapes, Sony has behaved decently, avoiding the arrogance and complacency that has corroded other leaders.”
Paul Jackson, Electronic Arts’ vice president of Europe, northern region, recalled: “In 1995 Sony asked us all to glimpse into the future and what was on offer was a whole new lifestyle and culture that embraced and captured an existing fan base, but, more importantly, sought out and captivated new audiences.”
Lest You Forgot…
- The original PlayStation launched on September 29th 1995 priced £299.
- Launch software comprised Ridge Racer, WipEout, Toshinden, Jumping Flash, Kileak The Blood (from SCE), plus NBA Jam and Street Fighter: The Movie from Acclaim.
- Between September 29th 1995 and December 31st 1995, the PlayStation’s first Christmas, Sony sold 125,000 hardware units in the UK.
The biggest hits
1995 (PSOne) Tekken, Namco
1996 (PSOne) FIA Formula 1, Psygnosis
1997 (PSOne) Tomb Raider 2, Eidos
1998 (PSOne) Gran Turismo, SCE
1999 (PSOne) Driver, GT Interactive
2000 (PS2) Tekken Tag Tournament, Namco
2001 (PS2) Grand Theft Auto III, Rockstar
2002 (PS2) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Rockstar
2003 (PS2) FIFA 2004, Electronic Arts
2004 (PS2) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Rockstar
2005, to date (PS2) Gran Turismo 4, SCE
*Compiled by ChartTrack, © Elspa.
All clichés apply. It was a sea change, a step-change, a landmark, year zero, epochal. Reach for any superlative, it fits.
A decade later, the market’s biggest players have paid tribute to the brand that was our passport to the cultural and commercial big leagues. From the High Street, GAME’s UK chief executive officer Lisa Morgan offered: “There’s no doubt that neither the industry nor GAME would be where we are today without PlayStation – and the recent PSP launch showed that the magic is still alive ten years on.”
Greg Ingham, CEO of the magazine giant Future, added: “Having succeeded with PSOne, Sony’s greatest success was to succeed again. No one else had done that.
“And despite the occasional scraps and scrapes, Sony has behaved decently, avoiding the arrogance and complacency that has corroded other leaders.”
Paul Jackson, Electronic Arts’ vice president of Europe, northern region, recalled: “In 1995 Sony asked us all to glimpse into the future and what was on offer was a whole new lifestyle and culture that embraced and captured an existing fan base, but, more importantly, sought out and captivated new audiences.”
Lest You Forgot…
- The original PlayStation launched on September 29th 1995 priced £299.
- Launch software comprised Ridge Racer, WipEout, Toshinden, Jumping Flash, Kileak The Blood (from SCE), plus NBA Jam and Street Fighter: The Movie from Acclaim.
- Between September 29th 1995 and December 31st 1995, the PlayStation’s first Christmas, Sony sold 125,000 hardware units in the UK.
The biggest hits
1995 (PSOne) Tekken, Namco
1996 (PSOne) FIA Formula 1, Psygnosis
1997 (PSOne) Tomb Raider 2, Eidos
1998 (PSOne) Gran Turismo, SCE
1999 (PSOne) Driver, GT Interactive
2000 (PS2) Tekken Tag Tournament, Namco
2001 (PS2) Grand Theft Auto III, Rockstar
2002 (PS2) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Rockstar
2003 (PS2) FIFA 2004, Electronic Arts
2004 (PS2) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Rockstar
2005, to date (PS2) Gran Turismo 4, SCE
*Compiled by ChartTrack, © Elspa.