Mark Cerny, the lead system architect on the PS4, is one of the most delightful people in the industry. That’s almost entirely due to the passion he displays for the PlayStation platform and gaming as a whole whenever he talks.

In this latest interview with Game Informer, Cerny retreads his work on the PS4 from the original concept to where they are today. It’s not all old info, however, as he reveals the reason behind Sony going with an 8-core CPU. In short, most developers said they worked best with quad or octa-core CPUs.

He also discusses his role on Knack as a creative director. He drew upon his years of working with Naughty Dog and Insomniac to make what he calls a Crash Bandicoot for the 21st century. He doesn’t see Knack becoming a mascot for the PS4, however, as he feels that we’re past the point where consoles had to sell themselves on the strength of any one mascot.

On a final note, he touches upon the current indie scene and how it differs from the indie games in the 80s. He finds that indie games today are a labor of love whereas independent developers in the 80s were given three months to push out a game. He also says that he would love to work with a smaller team on a small PS4 project once Knack is wrapped up.

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[h/t: Gamasutra]