Reasonably well-known compared to some of the entries on this list, but nevertheless pivotal in changing the course of history was a fateful decision that Nintendo made in 1991, which would lead to them being usurped as the dominant force in the industry by a company that they had severed ties with. This company was Sony, who Nintendo had first engaged in 1988 to develop a CD-Rom addition to their Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) console. Though Sony were successful in creating what they were contracted to develop, an agreement between the two parties with regards to revenue sharing could not be agreed, prompting Nintendo to end the deal and begin a new (and ultimately unsuccessful) partnership with Dutch giant Phillips instead. Humiliated, Sony president Noria Ohga had project lead Ken Kutaragi adapt his creation into a standalone system, though there was a degree of internal resistance within the company. As Nintendo persisted with the cartridge medium instead of the cheaper CDs, however, developers such as Namco and Electronic Arts (EA) began to express interest in working with Sony, who launched their creation in 1994. Released more than a year before the Nintendo 64 and at a cheaper price than the Sega Saturn, the Playstation, buoyed by strong marketing and 3D graphics, quickly took over the market. It has been the dominant brand ever since, with each of the three consoles that succeeded the original outselling its competitors worldwide. They have been threatened, most notably by the strength of Microsoft's Xbox 360 in Western markets and the far-reaching popularity of the Nintendo Wii, but the Playstation 4 has put Sony firmly on top again in the last couple of years, cementing the legacy of something that only came about from a financial disagreement that must have seemed somewhat trivial at the time. What's your most fascinating 'insider' gaming story? Let us know in the comments!
