Back before a quote could spread across the internet in a matter of moments, former Nintendo president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, didn’t mince words when asked about his competitor, PlayStation. Back in an early 2000s edition of the gaming magazine, Gamers’ Republic, Yamauchi was quoted for saying that the reason the PlayStation outsold the Nintendo’s N64 was because Japanese gamers, “(like) to be alone in their rooms and play depressing games.”

Yamauchi had been known to have a short temper, and he most likely made the statement out of frustration, not expecting anyone to take much weight from it. Although the N64 probably didn’t lose one of the early console wars thanks to gamers preferring depression over joy, there is something to be said about the difference in catalogues between the N64 and PlayStation.

While Nintendo was boasting family-friendly classics like Super Smash Bros., The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina In Time, and GoldenEye 007, the PlayStation had a lineup consisting of Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto, and Final Fantasy VII. Although fans of PlayStation games might not have enjoyed depression, there’s always been a clear demand for more mature games, a market that Nintendo has mostly steered clear from.

Nintendo also hurt themselves when it came to recruiting third party support, as the company refused to ditch cartridges in favor of discs despite the industry leaning heavily in that direction. Their loyalty towards cartridges was eventually the reason why Final Fantasy VII never made it onto the console, along with several other franchises. The effects of that decision can still be seen today, given that we still don’t see many third party games on the Switch.

So, no, the PlayStation did not outsell the N64 due to gamers preferring to play depressing games alone in their rooms. Instead, a number of factors were involved, but we still can’t help but to share a chuckle over the late Nintendo president’s take. Yamauchi served as the company’s president from 1949 until 2002, and was largely a pioneer in the industry thanks to his work on the NES, the SNES, the N64, and the GameCube. He passed away from pneumonia in 2013, and will certainly will be remembered for much more than his ill-tempered quotes.

Source: Nintendo Life

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