Overview
Prodigy became architect. Mark Cerny designed Marble Madness for Atari at age 18, then worked across the industry—Sega, Crystal Dynamics, Naughty Dog—before Sony recruited him to architect PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. His career spans the entire evolution of game development from arcade boards to modern consoles.
Fast facts
- Marble Madness: Age 18.
- Career span: 1982-present.
- Sony role: Lead system architect (PS4, PS5).
- Consulting: Naughty Dog, Insomniac, others.
Arcade era
| Title | Year | Role |
|---|
| Marble Madness | 1984 | Designer/programmer |
| Major Havoc | 1983 | Programmer |
Marble Madness
| Innovation | Impact |
|---|
| Trackball control | Precise movement |
| Isometric 3D | Visual style |
| Stereo sound | FM synthesis |
| Difficulty design | Accessible challenge |
Sega period
| Title | Year | Role |
|---|
| Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | 1992 | Producer |
| Kid Chameleon | 1992 | Producer |
Cerny Method
| Phase | Focus |
|---|
| Pre-production | Prototype core mechanics |
| Publishable | First playable milestone |
| Production | Build full game |
PlayStation architecture
| Console | Role |
|---|
| PS4 | Lead system architect |
| PS Vita | Hardware consultation |
| PS5 | Lead system architect |
Design philosophy
| Principle | Application |
|---|
| Prototype early | Validate before production |
| Developer feedback | Hardware design from software needs |
| Unified memory | PS4/PS5 architecture choice |
| SSD priority | PS5 storage innovation |
See also