NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� When Kendrick Lamar began his earlier this year, he picked a stage design likely familiar to anyone tuning in: a square, triangle, cross and circle.
The Grammy-winning rapper 鈥� 鈥� chose to perform on a massive, industrialized grid of flashing lights resembling a giant
It was a nice surprise present for Sony’s PlayStation, which this year is celebrating its 30th anniversary in North America and Europe. Lamar’s nod to the console 鈥� which Sony had nothing to do with 鈥� was another sign of how far the brand has penetrated the culture, in ways big and small.
From big-budget Hollywood fare like starring Angelina Jolie, to Juice WRLD’s video for to on HBO Max, the PlayStation experience has leapt far past the console. played a PlayStation 1 and the title character fired at PlayStation zombies in the cult movie 鈥淪haun of the Dead.鈥�
鈥淲e made gaming cool. When we came out we were a little edgy, we were a different, but it was really about being disruptive,鈥� says Eric Lempel, senior vice president of Business and Product at Sony Interactive Entertainment. 鈥淲e feel we are a premier entertainment brand, not just a gaming brand.鈥�
From bedroom to living room
Part of the enduring popularity of the PlayStation has been its ability to evolve with the technology, starting in 1995 by picking CD-ROMs that opened the door to 3D gaming. At the time, clunky cartridges were king.
The PlayStation 鈥� sparked by a failed partnership between Nintendo and Sony 鈥� entered a marketplace dominated by Sega and Nintendo. Sony wanted to bring the arcade experience home and a crucial decision was to consult with game developers first, before building their system.
鈥淪ony realized they needed developers in place from the get-go before they even started designing it,鈥� says Anthony Caulfield, who with his wife, Nicola, run Gracious Films and made the independent documentary
鈥淗ardware manufacturers up to that point basically didn鈥檛 care what the developers wanted. They just made what they thought was the best piece of hardware,鈥� he says.
Some critical steps helped right from the launch. Sony had a number of games ready to go, a development pipeline in place and a killer retail price 鈥� $299 鈥� that was less expensive than the rival Sega Saturn.
Sony also picked its market carefully, Caulfield says. With Sega and Nintendo largely targeting children, Sony aimed the PlayStation at teens and young adults 鈥� catnip for their younger brothers and sisters.
鈥淚f you grew up loving Nintendo games, the PlayStation was like a really good next step,鈥� says Tyler Treese, the editor-in-chief of an online forum and news site for fans.
When the console first arrived, it was a sensation, going on to sell more than 100 million units globally. 鈥淚t鈥檚 when games grew up,鈥� says Caulfield. 鈥淚t鈥檚 where the gaming went from the bedroom to the living room.鈥�
Making the hardware slap
Sony kept up with the technology, packing a DVD into the PlayStation 2 so that buyers had another reason to buy the system. The PlayStation 2 remains the best selling console of all time, with some 160 million units sold.
鈥淚t was one of the best-priced DVD players that also happened to be the best gaming system at the time,鈥� says Lempel. 鈥淚 know so many people who said, 鈥楾hat was my DVD player. That鈥檚 how I started in DVD.鈥欌��
Sony hit a wobble with the PS3, which used a Blu-ray deck. 鈥淚t made the thing so expensive and it kind of broke that original PlayStation feeling of availability and great value for money,鈥� Caulfield says. The 2011 that shut down the network for 24 days didn’t help. 鈥淚f they got the PS4 wrong it could have been the end.鈥�
But the PlayStation 4 in 2013 stabilized the console, offering immersive online multiplayer options, streaming services and a library of exclusive games. Sony kept going with in-app purchases, 4K resolution and a controller that has haptic feedback and adaptive triggers in the current PlayStation 5.
鈥淓very console has to have a purpose, it has to have a reason to exist, and when we find that we have the right amount of new technology that can enable developers to do great things, we push forward,鈥� says Lempel.
From the living room to Hollywood
The list of movies and TV shows that have had their origin on the PlayStation is long. It includes: 鈥淯ncharted鈥� starring Tom Holland on the big screen, 鈥淭he Last of Us鈥� with Pedro Pascal on HBO, 鈥淭wisted Metal鈥� on Peacock and 鈥淕ran Turismo鈥� with Orlando Bloom from Columbia Pictures.
More are on the way, including a live-action 鈥淗orizon Zero Dawn鈥� movie that’s eying a 2027 release, an upcoming movie version of 鈥淕host of Tsushima鈥� directed by Chad Stahelski, and Amazon鈥檚 鈥淕od of War鈥� TV series.
Treese says PlayStation games often make the leap to TVs and theater screens because they’re realistic, use motion capture and employ talented actors.
鈥淭hey do really lend themselves to movies because they definitely led that charge of making more cinematic video game experiences,鈥� he says. It also doesn’t help that Sony Pictures is nearby.
Lempel says PlayStation franchises are finding new audiences in other media because, at base, they’re good entertainment. 鈥淲e have great stories, we鈥檝e got great IP, and it transcends the category.鈥�
That has even spilled out into fashion 鈥� British Nigerian multidisciplinary artist and designer Yinka Ilori has a line of 鈥� and footwear, thanks to rapper Travis Scott’s Nike Dunk Low Cactus Jack X PlayStation sneakers.
鈥淲e know that we鈥檝e struck a chord that goes just well beyond a consumer product,鈥� says Lempel. 鈥淭his is something that people love. It鈥檚 a big part of people鈥檚 lives and they love to talk about it. They love to express it in different ways.鈥�
Lempel recently got a taste of that expression firsthand. He was at a restaurant in Manhattan when he spotted the PlayStation symbols tattooed on someone鈥檚 arm. 鈥淭hese are permanent markings on someone鈥檚 body,鈥� he says in wonder. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the passion people have.鈥�
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