Former PlayStation Boss Gives A Warning About The Future Of The Games Industry
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Former Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO Shawn Layden joined the Lan Parties podcast last week to warn about troubling trends in the video game industry. Much of his concern comes from the acquisition of studios by larger companies, like Microsoft’s deal with Activision Blizzard. Layden said, “Consolidation can be an enemy of creativity. I also think rising costs in gaming are an existential threat to all of us. And the entry of [Google, Netflix, Apple, and Amazon] into the sector – otherwise known as the ‘barbarians at the gate.”
Layden is concerned that the bigger studios will eclipse the unique and memorable games from smaller studios. He explained, “My concern around consolidation is that often it impacts creativity. For instance, it takes some kind of small, independent, wildhorse studios and brings them into a larger conglomerate and essentially time slows down the bigger you are, time slows down. I’m also concerned when studios get bought and instead of enabling a way to create their game, they maybe get absorbed into a larger enterprise that’s making a larger game, you know, how many studios are involved in making blockbuster games that will stagger the mind.”
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Layden stressed the need for video game developers to explore new genres, commenting that gamers who have avoided Call of Duty for the last 15 years won’t suddenly develop an interest in it. Another major issue is the lack of backward compatibility. Although backward compatibility is present on most current-gen hardware, the last generation had a conspicuous lack of backward compatibility. PlayStation developed an online streaming system of PS3 games to solve the problem, but many games are still missing.
Layden explained the importance of preservation, “I’m hoping that more people in the industry, certainly the big players, begin to realize that there’s an obligation and responsibility. This isn’t throw-away stuff we’re making. This is stuff that should be around for a long time because future generations will enjoy it in the same way that we have and it’s criminal that we’re not doing more to protect it.” Many gamers can attest that some of their favorite memories are rediscovering old games. This connects the previous generation of gamers with the current generation as they can have shared experiences. While Sony has been known for remastering some popular franchises like Spyro and Uncharted, it doesn’t help the bottom line much. However, a move that lets players experience the history of the console may make gamers more invested in the future of that console.
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