Polygon Man

Polygon Man was an early marketing character for Sony's PlayStation in North America. Created in 1995 by advertising company Chiat/Day and then-Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) president Steve Race, the character was meant to be an "edgy" spokesperson for the console and target audiences that they feared would be put off by the PlayStation name. Appearing in print advertisements and heavily at the 1995 Electronic Entertainment Expo, global head of the PlayStation brand Ken Kutaragi reacted negatively to the character, feeling it not only misrepresented the PlayStation's abilities but also that funds had been used on an alternative brand. The character was quickly shelved, replaced with the character Sofia from ''Battle Arena Toshinden'' while SCEA considered other character options.

Reception to Polygon Man was negative, with publications calling him "scary" and feeling it was a poor way to market the console to consumers. However, others voiced approval for the campaign and saw it as Sony attempting to reach teenage audiences through it. The character later appeared as the final boss of the 2012 fighting game ''PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale'', with sources such as ''PlayStation LifeStyle'' feeling he was a poor fit for the title and too similar to '' Smash Bros.'' character Master Hand, while others such as ''Edge'' appreciated the humor brought by the character and the acknowledgement of the schism between the North American and Japanese branches of Sony Computer Entertainment. He has since appeared in other titles and promotions, such as in 2022 for a digital collectible statue in Sony's "PlayStation Stars" loyalty program.

History

In 1995, when preparing for the unveiling of the PlayStation console to North American audiences during that year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, or "E3", regional branches of Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) came into conflict with the Japanese branch over how the console was going to be marketed. Market research had shown their consumers had reacted negatively to the PlayStation name and wanted to use "PSX", a contraction of the console's codename. Concerns were raised to SCE president Teruhisa Tokunaka, who dismissed them, noting a similar initial reaction to the Sony Walkman. However, at the American branch (SCEA), president Steve Race was still concerned, and felt the console would need an "edgy feel" to sell it to North American audiences.

Chiat/Day, SCEA's advertising agency had conducted consumer research and identified a target age for their market of 17, with younger consumers wanting to be that age while older consumers wanted to feel that age again. The American branch sought to aim their advertising at that audience, and created the characters of "Polygon Man" to this end. Influenced by Sega's successful anarchic "Pirate TV" campaign in the United Kingdom, Polygon Man's appearance was a floating, purple disembodied head with glowing yellow pupils in black eye sockets and spikes protruding from his scalp. In an interview with ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'', Race stated the character "from a U.S. perspective was the kind of spokescharacter that was leading edge. He never was expected to be a central character like a Mario but rather to be a master gamer who was hip and rather edgy". Prior to E3, print advertisements were run featuring the character alongside full two page previews for games that would launch with the PlayStation, with a speech bubble above Polygon Man's head making a quip related to the game. Meanwhile, at the event itself, press kits, billboards and booth signage featured the character with a speech balloon stating in Japanese "ハマリ度MAX" ().

However, Ken Kutaragi, global head of the PlayStation brand, reacted particularly harshly to seeing the character for the first time at E3. He was particularly critical of the PlayStation's limited budget being used on an alternative brand, but also the presentation of the character itself, which used flat shading instead of the Gouraud shading the PlayStation utilized. SCE had intended minimalist branding for the console, and according to Chris Deering, former head of PlayStation Europe, they interpreted the advertising campaign as the American branch fighting against the PlayStation brand. Race stated on the matter "There was a large disagreement. ..the Japanese thought it got in the way of the Sony brand. The Sony brand stands on its own—it never uses a character or celebrity endorsement, so culturally I didn't get that." Due to the Japanese branch having the final vote on the matter, the character was shelved and temporarily replaced with Sofia from ''Battle Arena Toshinden'' in the next print advertisement. Additionally, previous advertisements were quickly re-run with the same text but Polygon Man removed. Race in an interview with ''GameFan'' stated afterward he sought other characters to serve as "spokepeople" for the PlayStation, even reaching out to Marvel Comics before he ultimately left SCEA.

In video games

In 2012, Polygon Man resurfaced as the main antagonist

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