Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden has spoken out about one of the worst studio closures in recent years. A decision that millions of players still regret.
Video games may be the most powerful industry, but not everyone benefits equally from the revenue generated, that’s a fact. Although companies are making millions and billions, we also do not count the number of layoffs, especially in 2023/2024. A very dark time in which hundreds, thousands of developers and employees lost their jobs. In 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, PlayStation closed the doors to a studio dear to some and even beloved by the community.
The former PlayStation CEO comments on the end of this unique studio
Ape Escape, Shadow of the Colossus, LocoRoco, Siren, The Last Guardian, Demon’s Souls, Tokyo Jungle, Soul Sacrifice, Bloodborne and more, all of these games were developed or supported by SIE Japan Studio. It was the Japanese PlayStation team that dared to release titles that were different from the manufacturer’s other Western studios. Unfortunately, this subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment has closed its doors 28 years after its founding. A decision that is difficult for many to accept, but for Shawn Layden, the former boss of PlayStation, was inevitable.
« It was sad, but it wasn’t necessarily a surprise. I love Alan [Becker, l’ancien directeur de SIE Japan Studio] and he worked very hard, but the legacy of that studio was so troubling. It’s difficult when a studio hasn’t had success for a while and forgets what it’s about. You know, once you succeed once, it’s like a drug and you’re looking for the next one, right? And when you haven’t had one for a while, you forget what it’s for. And you even start to forget how to achieve this » said the former PlayStation CEO.
Despite critical success, the situation was unfortunately complicated for Japan Studio. In addition, Allan Becker, a former director of Santa Monica (“God of War”), had joined this PlayStation studio with the aim of righting the ship. With this closure, the manufacturer has lost a lot of talent, as shown by Keiichiro Toyama, creator of Silent Hill, Siren and Gravity Rush, who we will see again on November 8, 2024 with his first solo game Slittherhead. Other talents, such as the Frenchman Nicolas Doucet and his teams, were still able to stay in Team Asobi. A studio born from the ashes of Japan Studio that has just offered the Nugget Astro Bot on PlayStation 5. And that’s the only good news you can take away from this story.
Source: IGN.
