For many fans, the PlayStation for 4 years was defined by blockbuster single player Goty competitors as defined God of war And Spider-Man. Then the PS5 arrived in 2020 and Sony turned his attention to live service games with the hope of capturing a piece of the growing multiplayer market. The former executive Shawn Layden, who left Sony after more than 30 -year services shortly before the start of the new hardware, recently suggested that Strategy Pivot was part of the reason for his departure.
“To be honest, you Know, The Company was Making Some Strategic Decisions About Where They Want To Take The Platform In The Future With A Heavy Emphasis in Games As a Service, Live Service Gaming, Subscription Formulas, Recurring Revenue, What Child Of Not My Whouse,” Layden, who was chairman of you worldwide studios from 2014 to 2019, Said in a New podcast interview With Save State Plus.
“I only do things like God of war And Spider-Man And Last of us And Unclear [and] horizon“He continued:” I had neither the vision nor the energy to try to bring it to this new area of live service gaming.
Layden left Sony in September 2019, just over a year before the PS5 started. “His visionary leadership is very missing”, the Playstation account tweeted At that time “we wish him success in future efforts and are deeply grateful for his years of services. Thank you for everything, Shawn!”
The move was not accompanied by a formal press release and Came only six months After Jim Ryan had been promoted to the role of PlayStation CEO. When asked about the departure in 2021 and the question of whether it is internal disagreements, Layden Layden told Bloomberg It just felt like the right time to put the pen into his inheritance. “I think I took the time when I saw best to take it,” he said in 2021. “And I couldn't be happier.”
Since then, the players have seen Ryan also replaced in a 2024 corporate converting, in which PlayStation had two co-CEOs. You also saw how the live service pivot didn't go there quickly. While the PS5 sales continue to exceed the PS4 in the United States, even without a price that has been cut over four years after the consolid generation, the feeling that the hardware cycle of Sony Live Service ambitions at the expense of more players of individual games and experiments with new franchises, which the publication-party portfolio has historically announced, at the cost of of the single player hit.
And the fruits of the live service approach were only a few and far apart. On one side of the main register there is a game like Hell Vischer 2Which, despite the shocking success, was technically a game in the second part that continued an IP from the PS4 years. On the other hand there are flops like HarmonyThe stagnation of Fate 2and a cemetery of canceled projects, including everything from The last of us online To a multiplayer mode God of war Spin-off.
There are still upcoming multiplayer projects from Sony like Heist -Shooter Fairgame $ The company was waiting in the wings, but the company has now canceled much more than until 2026. A spokesman for Sony said Bloomberg at the beginning of this year that it would continue to play both individual players and multiplayer games, although the exact ratio is unclear. The company recently unveiled new single player projects, including one of Naughty Dog called Intergalactic: The heretical prophetAnd One from Housemarque called SarosBoth look promising, but could still be removed from the publication for years.
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