Former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden has touched on the state of the video game business, mentioning that there is a “collapse of creativity” and that relying on blockbusters is “a death sentence.”
Layden earned his title at Gamescom Asia alongside Uncooked Infuriate co-founder and major editorial director Gordon Van Dyke (thanks GI.Biz), where the pair discussed the demise of AA studios.
At the time, Layden said, studios focused simply on whether a game was fun rather than monetization schemes, although they admitted that “the risk tolerance was quite high.”
“Today, the entry costs to make a AAA game run into triple-digit millions,” he endured. “I think naturally your risk tolerance decreases. And you’re [looking] in the aftermath, you’re seeing copycats, because the finance people who draw the line say, “Well, if Fortnite made this much money in this time period, my Fortnite knockoff can make this much in that time period.” We are seeing a collapse of creativity in games today. [with] consolidation of the studio and the high cost of production.
Additionally, Layden said that “AA is gone,” which he called “a threat to the ecosystem.”
Noting that the overall standard of video games, including indie titles, is much higher due to advances in equipment, he maintained: “Now, if we could just get a little more interest, excitement and exposure for these lower budget but super creative and super unusual [type] of games… I would like to see more of that. Because if we’re going to rely solely on box office hits to get by, I think it’s a death sentence.”
AA video games can bring “the new” and will also advance much sooner than AAA video games, Layden said. Most importantly, though, they should look for unique ideas, not monetization.
“If you’re going to pitch me your AA game, and on the first two pages of your deck is your subscription, revenue, and monetization scheme, I’m out. Your first page has to say ‘This game needs to be created and here’s why.’ “he stated.
“I want to see that fire, I don’t want to see ‘here is the head of accounting of the team who is going to explain to you the [game’s monetisation]’.”
Layden also commented on the current trends around AI in game construction, mentioning that it is “not a savior.”
“Artificial intelligence has been in games since almost the first or second game ever made,” he said. “So all this excitement about AI generation seems a little funny to me. I see its applications in certain places for certain things. But it’s just a tool, it’s not a savior. It’s a tool in the way that Excel is a tool “It just helps you speed up your tasks.”
Layden began working for Sony in 1987 and ultimately served as president of SIE International Studios from 2014 to 2019. He has worked as a strategic consultant at Tencent since September 2022.
His comments may be best reflected in video games like Hello-Fi Accelerate, a unique and artistic idea that was once a possibility for Tango Gameworks.
That studio was closed by Microsoft, but acquired through Krafton. And Krafton boss Changhan ‘CH’ Kim has made comments that parallel Layden’s; In particular, the studio’s acquisition focused on the need to preserve its legacy rather than raise cash.
“We wanted to maintain his legacy,” Kim said. “Even though they didn’t have much success in their games, we saw a lot of creatives that were worth pursuing. That’s why we wanted to work with that organization.”
