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Nintendo’s break with Sony in 1991 is one of the most dramatic stories in the history of the video game industry. This incident inspired Sony to create its own console and from here PlayStation was born, which is still one of the big names in the gaming industry.
New Delhi. In the world of gaming, sometimes a small mistake or cheat changes history. In 1991, two giant companies Sony and Nintendo became friends and set out to create the future of gaming. But Nintendo betrayed Sony on the world’s biggest stage and the result was the birth of PlayStation, which even after 30 years is included in the big names of the gaming industry.
Sony and Nintendo were friends in the gaming world in the early 1990s. Together, both were preparing to create a game console that would be ahead of its time. The plan was to add Sony’s CD technology to Nintendo’s Super Nintendo. In that era, most games ran on cartridges, but CDs were cheaper and could handle more data. It was believed that this partnership would decide the future of gaming.
Nintendo’s betrayal of Sony
In 1991, Sony and Nintendo had to show the world a glimpse of this project at the world’s largest tech event, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Chicago. Sony was confident that both the companies would stand together on the stage. But the very next day Nintendo surprised everyone. Going on stage he announced a new partnership with Philips instead of Sony. Sony was not given any advance information about this decision. This is why it is called the biggest corporate fraud in history.
Sony did not give up
Nintendo did this because it feared that CD technology would give Sony more control over games and revenue. Nintendo did not want to lose complete control. This fear broke the friendship. This betrayal was certainly a shock for Sony, but a new story began from here. Instead of giving up, Sony decided to make its own game console. The company hired Phil Harrison in 1992 and became Sony Computer Entertainment in 1993. In the year 1994, Sony launched PlayStation and from here the world of gaming changed forever.
PlayStation became a global brand
PlayStation popularized CD gaming, gave opportunity to new developers and within no time it became a global brand. Today PlayStation is among the biggest names in the gaming industry. If Nintendo had not parted ways with Sony in 1991, the PlayStation may never have come into existence.
