Former PlayStation boss warns of risk of industry losing creativity

Former PlayStation boss warns of risk of industry losing creativity
Credit: Disclosure/PlayStation

The head of Sony Interactive Entertainment America from 2014 to 2018, Shawn Layden has expressed concern about the direction of the gaming industry. One of the people responsible for the success of the PlayStation 4, he claims believes there is a serious risk of studios losing their creativity and increasingly investing in sequels and syndicated franchises.

In an interview with the Lan Parties podcast, Layden said he sees many risks in the current consolidation trend that many developers are going through. According to him, the purchase of small, independent and creative companies, can cause good ideas and developers to be lost amidst large companies that have slow processes.

«I also worry that when studios get bought out and instead of letting them make their games, maybe they get absorbed into a bigger company that’s making a bigger game, you know, how many studios are involved in making to a blockbuster game is something that blows the mind«, explained the former head of PlayStation.

In the podcast, Shawn Layden also said that the trend of merging developers into large companies could jeopardize the industry’s creativity. According to him, the real danger is that diverse voices with different ideas end up being absorbed into large structures that depend on great success to survive – and as a result become more conservative in their ideas.

«Time will tell, but it’s a little worrying. When you go from hundreds of voices to dozens of voices, you lose some of them«, explained the former head of PlayStation. He also declared that the industry risks stagnation if it continues to focus on just four or five genres and elements well, as this will continue to keep many away from games.

Former PlayStation boss warns of risk of industry losing creativity
Photo: Disclosure/PlayStation

«Don’t be fooled into thinking that someone who has said «no» to Call of Duty for the past 15 years will suddenly start saying «yes» to Call of Duty.”, warned Layden. While criticizing the industry, he promised an initiative to preserve games from the past made by companies like Microsoft.

«Preservation is important. I am hoping that more people in the industry, certainly the big players, will start to realize that it is a duty and a responsibility«, Layden argued. «We are not making things to throw away. These are things that should last for a long time because future generations will enjoy them in the same way and it is criminal that we do not do more to preserve these«.

Source: Kotaku

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