Former PlayStation Executive Shawn Layden Warns That Relying on Successful Games is "a Death Sentence."
Layden believes that the industry is experiencing a "collapse of creativity."
Shawn Layden, former PlayStation executive, shared his thoughts on the current state of the video game industry during a talk at Gamescom Asia. In his conversation with Gordon Van Dyke, co-founder of Raw Fury, Layden addressed the disappearance of AA studios and the negative impact this has had on the sector.
Layden, who spent 30 years at Sony, emphasized that in the past, there was greater attention on the quality of games than on the monetization schemes of studios. He recalled that he used to ask whether a game was fun or if it provided a good experience; if the answers were affirmative, the project would move forward. According to him, "you didn’t worry as much about the end result," and he would add that the risks were more acceptable since the production costs of a video game were significantly lower.
Currently, the production of AAA games involves expenses of hundreds of millions of dollars, leading to a decrease in risk tolerance. "Now we face sequels and copies due to the financial pressure that suggests if Fortnite made so much money in a given period, a similar game can achieve the same," Layden commented, noting a reduction in creativity within the sector, driven by the consolidation of studios and high production costs.
When Van Dyke raised the question of whether indie games could be a "beacon of hope" amid the loss of AA studios, Layden agreed that in today’s industry, blockbuster titles like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto coexist alongside indie games. However, he warned that the middle layer once occupied by companies like Interplay or THQ has vanished.
The former executive suggested that the way to survive in the industry lies in becoming a AAA or innovating in the indie space, pointing out that the quality of video games has improved with the advancement of tools like Unreal Engine and Unity. He expressed his desire to see more creative and original low-budget games, stating that relying solely on blockbusters could jeopardize the future of the sector.
Layden also emphasized that there is a "natural niche" for AA games, which should focus on bringing new ideas rather than replicating successful titles like God of War. He criticized presentations that prioritize monetization in their proposals, suggesting that the core focus should be on value and the necessity of creating the game.
