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The Rise Of PlayStation: How Sony Won The 90s
Sony's path from upstart to market leader in the 32-bit era.
Sony entered the gaming market after a Nintendo-Sony CD-ROM collaboration collapsed. Ken Kutaragi's persistence paid off with the PlayStation's 1994 launch. CD-ROM offered larger worlds and full-motion video. Sony courted third parties aggressively. Final Fantasy VII's move from Nintendo to Sony shocked the industry. Wipeout, Ridge Racer, and Metal Gear Solid established Sony's identity. The result: Sony displaced Nintendo as the market leader by the late 1990s.