Kutaragi rolling D.I.C.E.

"Father of PlayStation" to receive Lifetime Achievement honor at AIAS' Interactive Achievement Awards.

Last year, the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences awarded its inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award to former Nintendo of America execs Howard Lincoln and Minoru Arakawa, who played a dominant role in resurrecting the North American gaming industry during the fallout years of the early-to-mid 1980s. Today, the AIAS announced that this year's Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to former Sony Computer Entertainment chairman and CEO Ken Kutaragi.

Kutaragi with his most recent addition to the family.

After joining Sony in 1975 as an engineer, Kutaragi gained his title as the "Father of PlayStation" in 1994 with the successful launch of the original PlayStation. He later solidified his position as an industry luminary in 1999 with the invention and successful launch of the PlayStation 2, which as of its seventh anniversary in October has sold more than 120 million units worldwide. Calling out Kutaragi's contributions to the gaming industry, the AIAS stated that Kutaragi helped "revolutionize the global in-home entertainment market." Following the troubled PlayStation 3 launch, Kutaragi ended his tenure with the Japanese giant in June.

"Ken Kutaragi's passion, innovative thinking and business savvy sparked a monumental movement that was unstoppable," said AIAS president Joseph Olin. "If it wasn't for Ken and his concept of the original PlayStation, there wouldn't be the billion dollar industry there is today. His contributions have clearly set new standards for developers, publishers, and consumers worldwide."

The AIAS Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented during the Interactive Achievement Awards on February 7 at the Red Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas at the D.I.C.E. Summit 2008.

120 Comments

  • Lunar52

    Posted Feb 7, 2008 11:35 pm PT

    to 1nverted: Sony wouldnt have entered the console market if it wasnt for nintendo, so you can thank Nintendo for your PS3

  • 1nverted

    Posted Dec 13, 2007 3:46 am PT

    Microsoft wouldn't have entered the console market if there was no PS or PS2, so you can thank Sony for your Xbox360.

  • Phazevariance

    Posted Nov 28, 2007 11:15 am PT

    He's done well with previous consoles, but look at what he did to start the PS series...

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation

    He tried to take intellectual property control over Nintendo's characters/games/ideas and it was when Nintendo screwed him over that he went on his own. This badmouthing and backstabbing process has been part of him since the beginning. Granted that PS2 was a major seller, and did help the industry, it was the PS1 that started the hacking revolution of modded consoles, followed swiftly by dreamcast then PS2 and xbox.

  • Tokyo90

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 9:37 pm PT

    CianMCL:

    @R3DN1N3

    what happened with peter moore then?

    Excatly , R3DN1N3 need to keep his mouth shut cuz he's making himself look like a total dumb@ss. he himself got brainwashed by MS not the sony fans.

  • PieCrusher

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 8:05 pm PT

    He deserves it considering he designed a series of ground breaking consoles.

  • godzillavskong

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 7:27 pm PT

    He is one arrogant MF. But he is also a Genius who helped propel Sony to the top of the gaming market. Hats off to him. I just wish he could've bit his tongue with some of his anti-360 remarks.

  • ctg867

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 6:59 pm PT

    Well he damn well deserves it. He built that gaming division up from the ground and he damn well deserves it not matter what any of you think.

  • uklegendkiller

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 6:39 pm PT

    It's about time Kutaragi got award for his effort's, what he has done for this industry is truelly inspiring and mind blowing to take on nintentdo and sega and win dominating the console market for 2 generations while doing so. The PS has set the standard that all has to follow in the industry & will continue to do so for a long time to come.
    My hats off Kutaragi a true inspiration and a well deserving choice.

  • kratos_karmakar

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 6:28 pm PT

    before u even begin to criticize this guy ask urself wat hav u done so far. all i hav to say bout this is " hands down he deserves it"

  • darendt69

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 3:46 pm PT

    WOW, I am so sick of hearing the console war is over, Wii wins.....Its such BS The War is over when a company launches another console. So when Nintendo and M$ launch there next console, and the PS3 is still hear putting out great games, we will see who sells more this gen. As for Ken jumping ship......he did no such thing. He stepped aside because he didnt want to let go of what he felt was important to the PS3. All of which I agree with. If he was in charge BC would still be in the console. What hurt Sony this gen was the delay and price combination...nothing more. Had they launched along side the 360, they would have done much better. Noone really cared about the 360. People started buying it because they were tired of waiting, then once the price was announced for the PS3 there were some decent looking games out on the 360.....so people bought it instead. The PS2 is still kicking, so we will look at the sales numbers in 4 years to see who the REAL winner is. Oh and in 4 years, the 360 will be no more, so sales will have stopped.

  • CianMCL

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 3:18 pm PT

    @R3DN1N3

    what happened with peter moore then?

  • EnigmaticBeauty

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 2:58 pm PT

    feishs...does that mean Sony tested the PS2 for 1000s of hours? Why were we getting that Disk read error?

  • felshs

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 2:50 pm PT

    i love PS3, i can play 300+ hours of elder scroll without worry that it will burn out. i still have my PS2 since the launch, 10000+hours of game play.

    sony prize in quality, they test it 1000s of hours before release it, that why PS3 was delay

  • felshs

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 2:46 pm PT

    how much does he made from inventing it??

    i bet probably couple million dollar or .01% of sony share

  • hatieshorrer

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 2:29 pm PT

    (OK it is too early for me to say the PS3 is a failure) but, what should I believe when the majority of gamers seem to hate it and, it has has droped in price by 1/3 of its original price its first year when it was being sold at a loss to begin with and is still a distant third. Even the software devision at sony SCE says they have spent more producing games then the income from sales.

  • Kekira

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 2:23 pm PT

    It's great to see him getting this award, after all, where would gaming be now if there has been no original PS? Despite the PS3's rocky start, he has made the PS brand what it is today. Too bad he stepped down, but it was getting to the point that he became more detrimental than beneficial.

  • Koushin

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 2:19 pm PT

    -hatieshorrer

    I understand what you're stating and its absolutely true except for one thing...Who said anything about Playstation 3 failing in the long run?

  • hatieshorrer

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 2:08 pm PT

    Im amazed at some of the criticism from fans. Im a Nintendo Fan and, even though Kutaragi made a poor choice of the processor for the PS3 he did design the (PS and, PS2) the two best selling home consoles of all time. Only Nintendo has had two or, soon to be three best selling home consoles of there generation. As for the PSP it maybe second in the portable market to the DS but, it is the only Portable to become a major Portable console that isnt made by Nintendo.

    Should Kutaragi be ostracised for his one failure the PS3. Being a Nintendo Fan I get criticism from PS Fanboys all the time with Nintendo is for Kids tuff talk but I wont let that blind me from the fact that Kutaragi had a strong impart on the video game industry.

  • mark_unix

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 2:06 pm PT

    menciawatcher25.
    it's already outselling everything in Japan, en a 300% sales increase in the US.

    take out the Blu-ray and you have no success just look at the xbox360 in Europe and asia it's the worse seller in both regions...

  • menciawatcher25

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 1:32 pm PT

    uhhhh the psone and two are good take the ps3 take out blu ray player put in backwards compatibility for psone and pstwo and then it will be successful

  • EnigmaticBeauty

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 12:14 pm PT

    Och... big frigging whoop

  • PMatt722

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 10:39 am PT

    i think ken drove the company into the ground on purpose with the PS3, they seriously should keep focusing on the PS2, now that was a REAL video game system.

  • R3DN1N3

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 10:18 am PT

    Bodboy466 Congrats, Dad! Nevermind the haters- they couldn't do half of what you did, which is why they are on forums and working at McDonalds and you're in the Hall of Fame with millions in the bank! I'm proud of you!~
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    LOL dad...............
    Someone's really been brainwashed here.
    Kutaragi doesn't deserve anything but a kick in the behind and a reality check.
    The "Father of Playstation" jumped ship when things got tuff for him, what does that say about him?
    I mean since the PS days he's been coasting it with no opposition, just when he feels that there might trouble he suddenly hits the EJECT button????
    He's a joke!

  • Maersyndel

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 10:17 am PT

    Well deserved praise. There's a fine line between visionary and fool....sometimes he semed to cross that line from time to time, but the world seemed to conform to his ideas.

  • Bodboy466

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 9:32 am PT

    Congrats, Dad! Nevermind the haters- they couldn't do half of what you did, which is why they are on forums and working at McDonalds and you're in the Hall of Fame with millions in the bank! I'm proud of you!~

  • HXCDEW

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 9:29 am PT

    Congratulations Mr. Kuturagi! Without you Playstation might never have existed and gaming wouldn't have expanded as far it has today. Your dedication and contributions to the industry will not be forgotten.

  • wild_world_girl

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 8:45 am PT

    @Tokyo90:

    Thanks for the link, that was a great laugh.

    He gave 1.0 to PS3 games that he gave a 10.0 to on the 360.

    http://www.gamespot.com/users/PMatt722/

  • Sigil-otaku

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 8:05 am PT

    @Tokyo90: Yeah but then you should argue against what he says when it is incorrect.

  • Phazevariance

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 7:44 am PT

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation
    Nice read on the history of him trying to take control of Nintendo's I.P. and allowing piracy to become widespread and unstoppable for the gaming industry.

  • Tora-tora-tora

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 7:13 am PT

    Look, PS1's success road was paved by old SCE board members at the time(he was responsive for its hardware ONLY). Next, thanks to its release timing, DVD-equipped, PS2 hit tremendously. Additionally, Mr. Kutaragi was running on the PS road. It was piece of cake,huh? I could too! ! Lastly, not to mention about PS3. Remember a number of his comments such as 'PS3 is like a exclusive restaurant'.
    So, I DON'T KNOW the reason he deserved the award AT ALL.

  • Tokyo90

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 7:07 am PT

    its not that Sigil-otaku , PMatt722 is a sony hater and he been trolling in the PS3 forums for months and still he's not banned yet.

  • Sigil-otaku

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 6:30 am PT

    Tokyo90: Lol I agree he's biased, a 1.0 for PS3 versions of a game and 10 for 360 versions but a fact is a fact from the mouth of a biased liar or not. Ratchet and clank didn't push any boundaries, there's been bigger games, there's been graphically superior games and it did nothing to revolutionise the franchise or genre so don't take issue with facts just cos you dislike someone.

  • Yuck_Too

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 6:23 am PT

    Ken was an engineer and he made the Playstation brand what it is no doubt about it.

    The problems with the PS3 were not his fault, but the fault of the people who put a hardware guy in charge of the whole operation.

    Ken was simply the wrong guy for the job.


    To put it another way, if this was the housing market:
    Your construction foreman should not be in charge of sales and furniture.

  • Tokyo90

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 6:18 am PT

    PMatt722: yeah that game ratchet and clank: tools of destruction sure did push the gaming boundaries hmmm

    yeah , coming from someone that gives every PS3 game a 1.0 http://www.gamespot.com/users/PMatt722/

  • ukillwegrill

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 6:08 am PT

    Ken ruined sony with the technically superior but ultimately an enigma to develop for PS3

  • Sigil-otaku

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 5:55 am PT

    If he's so good as to deserve a life time recognition I wonder why Sony fired him, fired him and then claimed there was nothing wrong with the price, sales, design, implementation or launch of the PS3. Why'd they fire him if all that was done right? Not saying he doesn't deserve it as I believe he does but Sony as a company should just admit they aren't happy with the PS3 or re-hire him. He's popular, he's well known and he's got respect (especially now he's got this).

  • lostn

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 5:45 am PT

    Congrats to Ken, he deserves it.

    "I agree that he deserves the award. I've got to say that he made some big mistakes with the PS3 though. If he'd just made it similar in features and price to the 360, the PS3 probably would've creamed it, and everyone would've jumped on the PS3 bandwagon the way they did with the PS2 bandwagon. I'm a Microsoft fan and even I'll admit it. If the PS3 had been cheaper and more accessible, and Kutaragi hadn't been so damn arrogant in his presentation of it, it would probably have beaten the 360 handily. I don't know how well it would've done against the Wii, but I know it would've outmatched the 360."

    I agree with Arc that if the PS3 was priced at $400 without a blu ray drive, or if the 40GB was available at launch as the only SKU (at $400), it would have creamed the 360, based on brand recognition. That was really the only thing the PS2 had going for it, and it was enough. There was nothing the PS2 could do that the other consoles could not do. It rode on the PS1's success, and the PS1 rode on the N64's disastrous failure (by SNES standards).

  • sony_fann

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 5:36 am PT

    He deserves it

  • PS360Fanboy

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 5:31 am PT

    Nice Hopefully cos of the technical achievement in MGS4

  • Tora-tora-tora

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 5:27 am PT

    By any chance, everyone is kinds of people who are deceived by governments or media???
    Grow up!!

  • PMatt722 posted Nov 27, 2007 5:21 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    PMatt722

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 5:21 am PT (hide)

    yeah that game ratchet and clank: tools of destruction sure did push the gaming boundaries hmmm

  • Atheno

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 5:11 am PT

    Yes PMatt722 you are correct...almost. We should thank him for making PS3 what it is, totally awesome. I enjoy it greatly, along side my Wii and future 360, if they get the kinks worked out that is, will be a great gaming set. PS3 seems to be getting a lot of games that push the boundaries.

  • kori911

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 4:56 am PT

    Good for him, I hope he goes on to do great things in life.

  • sturshel

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 4:47 am PT

    Congrats man! Congrats! and thanks! otherwise i would have to play sports physically....

  • dorohala

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 4:05 am PT

    I must say well done Ken Kutaragi, Allah gave him brain to make a playstation consoles so that we do not feel bord!!!

  • raynimrod

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 4:02 am PT

    Yes congrats Ken, congrats!

  • SirMonotone

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 3:20 am PT

    Congrats to Kutaragi. PS1 & PS2 were, in my opinion, the best consoles ever made. If it wasn't for the PS1 I probably wouldn't be as obsessed with video games as I am now. Well done Ken Kutaragi.

  • mashom posted Nov 27, 2007 2:21 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    mashom

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 2:21 am PT (hide)

    Kutaragi you are genious, whatever you got, ITS GOD Gifted to you.

  • finalsquall76

    Posted Nov 27, 2007 1:48 am PT

    Well deserved!

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