Fresh off receiving the prestigious BAFTA Fellowship for his contributions to the global games industry, Sony veteran Shuhei Yoshida is being honoured in an entirely different, but perhaps no less special way: he’s being immortalised as a PlayStation Stars digital collectible.
Following in the footsteps of the apes from Ape Escape, Yoshida will become an unlockable part of Sony’s burgeoning loyalty program, which is designed to encourage player retention. He will be represented by a miniature bobblehead rocking a suit and glasses, which will be available for display in the PlayStation App, and on consoles.
Read: Everything you need to know about PlayStation Stars
To unlock the new digital figure, you’ll need to play at least one of the following games within the PlayStation ecosystem:
- A Space for the Unbound
- Before Your Eyes
- Cult of the Lamb
- Neon White
- Sifu
- The Knight Witch
Each of these independent games has been hand-picked by Yoshida, and the collection speaks to his love and support for indie games. It’s particularly nice to see Cult of the Lamb, from Melbourne-based studio Massive Monster, on the list. If just one keen PlayStation Stars user picks up the game solely to grab the Yoshida bobblehead, this entire experiment has been worthwhile.
Beyond being a fun collectible to add to your PlayStation Stars gallery, the launch of the Yoshida bobblehead is also a lovely tribute to an icon of PlayStation. Yoshida has been at Sony for three decades, and has helped bring countless characters and adventures to life. In recent years, he has transitioned to an indie game-focussed role, where he continues to work on supporting developers and studios around the world.
Those keen to celebrate his achievements in digital bobblehead form should head to the PlayStation Stars hub to learn more about the program, and how to unlock this wonderful, weird memento.
