previous sony Executive Shawn Layden recently criticized the video game industry's focus on live service titles. It's no secret that most AAA companies see live service games with a following. fortniteIt's an opportunity to make a ton of money, but Layden's experience working at Sony has led him to believe that chasing these wildly successful hits can be a “mirage” of sorts.
Shawn Layden served as President of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios from 2014 to 2019. During this time, Layden oversaw the development of several hugely popular first-party PlayStation single-player titles: god of war, horizon zero dawnand Ghost of Tsushima.
Former Sony executive likens live service games to 'mirage'
In an interview with The Ringer, Layden drew on his previous experience to criticize companies chasing the success of live service games. Layden likened the pivot versus live service game to “the siren's call,” saying, “It's like seeing a mirage over a dune. If you chase it, you'll never get there.” According to the executive branch, fortnite It was a classic example of “catching lightning in a jar”, and it is impossible to plan such a unique event, since it does not depend only on developers who have a strong vision for the project. He was also completely uninterested in the idea of creating live service games, calling the genre a “repetitive action engagement device” rather than a “real game”.
Considering Sony's highs and lows in recent years, Layden's comments are understandable. Some single player games such as: the last of us 2 and God of War: Ragnarok It was a huge hit. on the other side, agreement It was a huge failure, with the live service shooter shutting down after just two weeks.
In light of agreementSony appears to be taking its strategy further away from live service games recently. Last January, Sony canceled two live service games. One of them was a third-person open world military shooter being developed by Bluepoint Games, and the other was god of war Multiplayer game from Bend Studios. Bungie's upcoming releases marathon Delayed to receive more polish.
That's not to say that all new live service games have failed. Helldiver 2 For example, the game has sold over 19 million copies and remains a very popular live service action game. but, Helldiver 2 The game was developed by Arrowhead Game Studios, which already has a lot of experience creating these types of games. It's yet to be seen whether Sony and other major AAA companies will continue to pursue success with fresh live service games, or whether they'll follow Layden's advice and focus on single-player experiences instead.
- Establishment date
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May 7, 1946
- headquarters
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Minato Ward, Tokyo, Japan
