Shawn Layden interview - on Sony's first party development, streaming, E3, acquisitions and more

[Jarod McChicken]

Not showing at E3 is a horrible PR move no matter how you want to spin it. The event is important for visibility, for relevancy and for pleasing your fans. Moreover, you don't go to E3 only for your own portfolio but also for your partners. I saw a comment about how Microsoft E3 was all about "timed exclusives", well with Sony supporting ZERO game for the next E3, you are sure to see a lot of third party games at Microsoft event, that's for sure. It's not like third parties will have a lot of choices.

I like Layden, but no one is shocked that the guy actually want to change the whole E3 concept into a "fan festival where no one drops bombs" just to accomodate its own politics (fewer but bigger games) or lineup insufficiencies ? Some of you guys are something else.

Also, how are so many people shocked by the CNET headline when Shawn Layden says twice that he want "fewer but bigger games" ? Are you for real ? There are one or two poor points in the article, but the title is correct and convey exactly what Layden is saying.

 

[Jack-O-Lantern]

In a perfect Shawn Layden future, I'm living in Tahiti.

Ughhh...

and what´s with this "fewer but bigger games".... don´t like Sony vision to the future...

 

[HardRojo]

Was he asked why he allowed the PS Classic to end up being such a piece of shit?

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Have they commented on that yet? Must be the biggest elephant in the room right now during interviews and internal meetings.

 

[Jom]

Lol that article title. Yeah you got 'em article writer person. Fucking got 'em!

 

[Sonicfan059]

"Bigger, fewer games"

I dont like the sound of that at all

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Relax dude it's what they've been doing most of this gen. It's called a byproduct of software requiring more time to complete than last gen and gens before that.

 

[Barsi]

Not showing at E3 is a horrible PR move no matter how you want to spin it. The event is important for visibility for relevancy and for pleasing your fans. Moreover, you don't go to E3 only for your own portfolio but also for your partners. I saw a comment about how Microsoft E3 was all about "timed exclusives", well with Sony supporting ZERO game for the next E3, you are sure to see a lot of third party games at Microsoft event, that's for sure. It's note like third parties will have a lot of choices.

I like Layden, but no one is shocked that the guy actually want to change the whole E3 concept into a "fan festival where no one drops bombs" just to accomodate its own politics (fewer but bigger games) or lineup insufficiencies ? Some of you guys are something else.

Also, how are so many people shocked by the CNET headline when Shawn Layden says twice that he want "fewer but bigger games" ? Are you for real ? There are one or two poor points in the article, but the title is correct and convey what Layden is saying.

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90% of gamers don't know what E3 is, E3 is a event for super hardcore and fanboys.

 

[Anthony Hopkins]

No need for condenscension..I read it I see nothing that makes folks giving MS a hard time about e3 floor space relevant to Sony's e3 strategy this year.....You seem keen on bringing MS up over and over, agree to disagree. Again was it the same folks saying both?

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Im not condescending, others are bringing up Microsoft.
They are sony's main competition, and it is relevant to bring up how people reacted to MS E3 show floor space, because people and layden are commenting on Sony's lack of E3 this year.
I don't know why you are taking issue with comparison.
The interview has a lot of comparisons with different companies, so it is on topic.

 

[Windu]

I like the stance to delay games as long as necessary to get the quality up to their standard. It's clear that is the strategy being applied with Dreams.



Not happening.

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Shame. Not getting my money then.

 

[TheGhost]

I wouldn't want Sony buying studios that have n

In a perfect Shawn Layden future, I'm living in Tahiti.

Ughhh...

and what´s with this "fewer but bigger games".... don´t like Sony vision to the future...

Click to shrink...

that would be ok response if they weren't all single player games.

I wouldn't mind a spin off live in world of the last of us that has absolutely nothing to do with the main story, just a multiplayer co-op living world about survival.

 

[Deleted member 52190]

I wouldn't want Sony buying studios that have n

that would be ok response if they weren't all single player games.

I wouldn't mind a spin off live in world of the last of us that has absolutely nothing to do with the main story, just a multiplayer co-op living world about survival.

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Something like the divison dlc, that whould be awesome.

 

[Eggman]

Yes more context was needed.
But it's pretty halarious that Sony not doing E3 is portrayed as "nothing to see here" by some posters.

When MS had a smaller E3 floor space last year people were claiming the usual xbox doom and gloom talk.

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There are many other reasons why people were or are down on Microsoft besides E3. Sony has done a dozen or so more conferences than Microsoft has and they have released far more games and announced more. This gives Sony a lot more leeway that they earned.

 

['V']

It's still a lot of fun but last E3 Microsoft had the best show, due largely to 3rd parties, and yet they still wound up in last place overall in terms of sales and quality titles throughout the year.

So yeah, it's a great time but not vital to a companies success.

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E3 is probably more for existing fans who just want to see their favourite company show off more games and content nowadays but I still believe, whilst it might not boost hardware sales for the Big 3, it will boost game sales overall or create mass interest in upcoming games due to the exposure which comes with a massive gaming conference.
No matter which way some cultists try and twist it, there isn't any benefit to sony pulling out. If you're a fan of Sony you cannot deny being disappointed, even a little, when this was announced.

 

[Deleted member 20297]

90% of gamers don't know what E3 is, E3 is a event for super hardcore and fanboys.

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What? Millions click on YouTube videos that get shown at e3 and it's on social media, twitch, everywhere, even advertised through the console interface. I don't think that's true.

 

[Jack-O-Lantern]

I like conferences, i like the buzz, the antecipation, the gather with friends to talk about gaming events, so yeah... i am pissed with E3 Sony absence :-(

 

[CosmicSea]

Im not condescending, others are bringing up Microsoft.
They are sony's main competition, and it is relevant to bring up how people reacted to MS E3 show floor space, because people and layden are commenting on Sony's lack of E3 this year.
I don't know why you are taking issue with comparison.
The interview has a lot of comparisons with different companies, so it is on topic.

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Well you are forgetting one major thing...MS and sony are not in the same situation nor on equal ground..Sony is riding high and their first party has delivered..Ms has had a rocky gen first party wise, with much speculation about their future for awhile..so of course the tone would be different...Some of you totally forget any context for anything. Some of you are forgetting MS is behind and playing catch up.

 

[get2sammyb]

Not showing at E3 is a horrible PR move no matter how you want to spin it. The event is important for visibility for relevancy and for pleasing your fans.

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We can't say this until we see what they have in store for the year. And no, Layden was never going to outline all of its plans in an interview with CNET.

 

[chobel]

And with our decision to do fewer games -- bigger games -- over longer periods of time, we got to a point where June of 2019 was not a time for us to have a new thing to say.

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RIP the cool AA Sony games.

 

[molnizzle]

Oh give me a break Layden.

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Cut him some slack, Tahiti is a magical place.

 

[Masagiwa]

We can't say this until we see what they have in store for the year. And no, Layden was never going to outline all of its plans in an interview with CNET.

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What plans? Are there any for 2019? That's the problem atm.

Cut him some slack, Tahiti is a magical place.

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Haha, I'm sure it is.

 

[Barsi]

What? Millions click on YouTube videos that get shown at e3 and it's on social media, twitch, everywhere, even advertised through the console interface. I don't think that's true.

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You got right people watch trailer @youtube. 10-20 million people that's it we are talking about a universe with 200 million gamers. Even more if we count PC.

People can watch trailers @ Youtube they don't need to be @E3. Most of gamers don't know what E3 is.

Most of my friends who play games don't know anything about E3.

 

[CosmicSea]

What plans? Are there any? That's the problem atm.

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How is that a problem??? Why does sony need to spell out all it's plans now? They have 4 gens under their belt, we know they are working on games. I think Sony's strategy is way smarter, MS talks too much which often leads t more chatter and inevitably more chance to under deliver to expectations. Going quiet then BAm with a big reveal is far more impactful.

 

[NLCPRESIDENT]

OK. I'm fucking worried for next gen now.

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It's like you didn't comprehend what you quoted. He's talking about the actual military, soliders, real people. Real war zones not E3, lol.

 

[litebrite]

I don't understand why Microsoft and Nintendo don't put real investment into studios to also create really great narrative-driven, 3rd person action games to compete with Sony games.

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this post seems weirdly defensive. LOL.

 

[get2sammyb]

What plans? Are there any for 2019? That's the problem atm.

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It's 11th February.

 

[Sonicfan059]

Not showing at E3 is a horrible PR move no matter how you want to spin it. The event is important for visibility, for relevancy and for pleasing your fans. Moreover, you don't go to E3 only for your own portfolio but also for your partners. I saw a comment about how Microsoft E3 was all about "timed exclusives", well with Sony supporting ZERO game for the next E3, you are sure to see a lot of third party games at Microsoft event, that's for sure. It's not like third parties will have a lot of choices.

I like Layden, but no one is shocked that the guy actually want to change the whole E3 concept into a "fan festival where no one drops bombs" just to accomodate its own politics (fewer but bigger games) or lineup insufficiencies ? Some of you guys are something else.

Also, how are so many people shocked by the CNET headline when Shawn Layden says twice that he want "fewer but bigger games" ? Are you for real ? There are one or two poor points in the article, but the title is correct and convey exactly what Layden is saying.

Click to shrink...

You're trying too hard.

 

[Vito]

It's like you didn't comprehend what you quoted. He's talking about the actual military, soliders, real people. Real war zones not E3, lol.

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But I wasn't talking about E3...

 

[CosmicSea]

It's 11th February.

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LOL and this..Sony said many times there will be OTHER ways they reach out to fans this year, some of you all want to make everything a big deal. It's 2019...you don't need a conference to reach your audience.

 

[Imitation Of Life]

Shame. Not getting my money then.

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Who was getting your money before Game Pass?

 

[Loudninja]

Its really weird you wouldn't know Sony still has 10+ games coming out by reading some of these replies this all really weird at this point and makes no sense to be acting like this.

 

[thuway]

Sony is adopting a very Nintendo approach where they want to insure a level of polish and quality behind their published software. I can totally respect that. We are moving into an era where games like Lair, Playstation All Stars, and the ilk aren't going to be wasted on.

Not showing at E3 is a horrible PR move no matter how you want to spin it. The event is important for visibility, for relevancy and for pleasing your fans. Moreover, you don't go to E3 only for your own portfolio but also for your partners. I saw a comment about how Microsoft E3 was all about "timed exclusives", well with Sony supporting ZERO game for the next E3, you are sure to see a lot of third party games at Microsoft event, that's for sure. It's not like third parties will have a lot of choices.

I like Layden, but no one is shocked that the guy actually want to change the whole E3 concept into a "fan festival where no one drops bombs" just to accomodate its own politics (fewer but bigger games) or lineup insufficiencies ? Some of you guys are something else.

Also, how are so many people shocked by the CNET headline when Shawn Layden says twice that he want "fewer but bigger games" ? Are you for real ? There are one or two poor points in the article, but the title is correct and convey exactly what Layden is saying.

Click to shrink...

Microsoft showing off a shit ton of games on their stage isn't going to be some sort of miraculous PR move that will sway the macro optics of what is actually happening. The mainstream consumer just got off a year with God of War, Spiderman, and Detroit. Xbox has yet to deliver any thing close to even one of those games this gen.

You are over estimating the importance of E3 and Sony not showing up. In the grand scheme of things, Sony has quality games that are going to release among the next few years. Hell this year alone we still have Days Gone, Dreams, and Concrete Genie.

There is no both sides here. One company is delivering on quality AAA Class leading games. The other is developing a cult around an executive, studio purchases, and blind faith that a good game will eventually hit.

 

[Sonicfan059]

In a perfect Shawn Layden future, I'm living in Tahiti.

Ughhh...

and what´s with this "fewer but bigger games".... don´t like Sony vision to the future...

Click to shrink...

It's what they've been doing for years already. It's their vision for the here and now and past.

 

[NLCPRESIDENT]

But I wasn't talking about E3...

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Point is, you didn't read it. You saw "downloadable only" and panicked. It happens. But no need to worry about next gen.

 

[litebrite]

It's still a lot of fun but last E3 Microsoft had the best show, due largely to 3rd parties, and yet they still wound up in last place overall in terms of sales and quality titles throughout the year.

So yeah, it's a great time but not vital to a companies success.

Click to shrink...

LOL. Why would you expect the "best" e3 show in the 5th year of a gen to ultimately impact their overall placement in sales and quality titles released throughout the year?

 

[CosmicSea]

Sony is adopting a very Nintendo approach where they want to insure a level of polish and quality behind their published software. I can totally respect that. We are moving into an era where games like Lair, Playstation All Stars, and the ilk aren't going to be wasted on.


Microsoft showing off a shit ton of games on their stage isn't going to be some sort of miraculous PR move that will sway the macro optics of what is actually happening. The mainstream consumer just got off a year with God of War, Spiderman, and Detroit. Xbox has yet to deliver any thing close to even one of those games this gen.

You are over estimating the importance of E3 and Sony not showing up. In the grand scheme of things, Sony has quality games that are going to release among the next few years. Hell this year alone we still have Days Gone, Dreams, and Concrete Genie.

There is no both sides here. One company is delivering on quality AAA Class leading games. The other is developing a cult around an executive.

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LOL ouch.

 

[ThisThingIsUseful]

Layden wants to go to Tahiti, but does he HAVE A PLAN for that? And more importantly, FAITH?

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LOL

"Bigger, fewer games"

I dont like the sound of that at all

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In a perfect Shawn Layden future, I'm living in Tahiti.

Ughhh...

and what´s with this "fewer but bigger games".... don´t like Sony vision to the future...

Click to shrink...

That's their present vision. Uncharted 4 was bigger, while their "DLC" was a full-length game with a physical release. Horizon Zero Dawn was bigger. Spider-Man was bigger than R&C games and Resistance. God of War was bigger than PS2/PS3 GOW games.

If you don't like the quality of the games, then I can see why the future is unappealing. This has been the best their first party has been, imo. I'd like more of this quality, which would require working with or adding more studios to their first party roster. But the studios themselves are outdoing themselves.

 

[CRIMSON-XIII]

If PlayStation wants to dominate nextgen.

They should:

FFVII Remake
SOCOM US NAVY SEALS
Reveals for God of War 2 and Spider Man 2.
Horizon Zero Dawn 2 in a new twist.
Sony Japan new game.

 

[gofreak]

OK. I'm fucking worried for next gen now.

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What you've quoted is the interviewer's question and commentary, not Layden's.

It's clear from both Layden's answer, and his preceding answer, that Sony has a huge interest in markets where physical products continue to be very important.

The challenge around streaming is that while it may get to a place reasonably quickly that folks who live on top of a good node in SOMA or Seoul or Stockholm can get a good streaming life, if you're PlayStation and you're available in 168 countries around the world, streaming will be a thing which will have interest to certain people in certain places.

But still, for the vast majority of the gaming community, our 94 million PlayStation 4s out there, I think there's much life left in a local console.

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If the PlayStation continues to grow at this rate, we can leave no gamer behind. But streaming is something that PlayStation is active in and we want to make sure we keep current in that technology.

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[thuway]

LOL ouch.

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I'm halfway kidding here, but Microsoft themselves embrace it with the 'I Believe in Phil Spencer,' and 'Xboss' shirts.

 

[Turkoop]

LOL




That's their present vision. Uncharted 4 was bigger, while their "DLC" was a full-length game with a physical release. Horizon Zero Dawn was bigger. Spider-Man was bigger than R&C games and Resistance. God of War was bigger than PS2/PS3 GOW games.

If you don't like the quality of the games, then I can see why the future is unappealing. This has been the best their first party has been, imo. I'd like more of this quality, which would require working with or adding more studios to their first party roster. But the studios themselves are outdoing themselves.

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Yup, totally this. I'm very happy with that. I want more bigger, AAA Games by SIE. Even they started slow and published many Indie-games. Now, they are totally focusing on AAA-titles.

 

[Vinc]

Although not having E3 won't effect there sales. It's not great for the fans and if it continues into the new gen, they will appear with reduced presence.

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Yeah, I don't know if business wise it would affect them, but having a show where EVERYBODY shows up was always fun to watch. And even if it's not a sport and they can all do well, the comparisons were always a fun thing that drew a lot of attention. Don't get me wrong, console wars are stupid when people insult each other and act like assholes, but it can be FUN to watch them compete for our dollars. I'll be sad if these days are over.

 

[CosmicSea]

I'm halfway kidding here, but Microsoft themselves embrace it with the 'I Believe in Phil Spencer,' and 'Xboss' shirts.

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I agree with what you are saying I just found that line funny, it is kind of true.

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

Not showing at E3 is a horrible PR move no matter how you want to spin it. The event is important for visibility, for relevancy and for pleasing your fans. Moreover, you don't go to E3 only for your own portfolio but also for your partners. I saw a comment about how Microsoft E3 was all about "timed exclusives", well with Sony supporting ZERO game for the next E3, you are sure to see a lot of third party games at Microsoft event, that's for sure. It's not like third parties will have a lot of choices.

Click to shrink...

And what is that going to do, exactly? The games are coming out on PS4 regardless.

 

[Yerffej]

If PlayStation wants to dominate nextgen.

They should:

FFVII Remake
SOCOM US NAVY SEALS
Reveals for God of War 2 and Spider Man 2.
Horizon Zero Dawn 2 in a new twist.
Sony Japan new game.

Click to shrink...

I kinda doubt they'll dominate the way they did this gen. They will most likely win, given their stronghold on other territories MS is notoriously weak in, but MS isn't playing around this time. Nothing but smart decisions in recent years and seemingly they have an eye on actual games and a competent system.

 

[Viceratops]

this post seems weirdly defensive. LOL.

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It wasn't meant to be. I'm only saying that game devs gotta make their own games, not try to replicate other publishers. Only differentiate from what you're good at if you have a great idea.

 

[Yog-Sothoth]

In a perfect Shawn Layden future, I'm living in Tahiti.

Ughhh...

and what´s with this "fewer but bigger games".... don´t like Sony vision to the future...

Click to shrink...

But that's already what we're getting.

 

[gundamkyoukai]

What? Millions click on YouTube videos that get shown at e3 and it's on social media, twitch, everywhere, even advertised through the console interface. I don't think that's true.

Click to shrink...

You can get millions of views without E3 and even by doing your own event .
I am sorry that Sony not showing up for E3 but there is nothing E3 does that they can't do on there own .

 

[CosmicSea]

I kinda doubt they'll dominate the way they did this gen. They will most likely win, given their stronghold on other territories MS is notoriously weak in, but MS isn't playing around this time. Nothing but smart decisions in recent years and seemingly they have an eye on actual games and a competent system.

Click to shrink...

These posts don't make sense..what countries would make MS make up a lot of ground? They would need to dominate the US and unless sony does something dumb that is not going to happen....People seem to underestimate Sony who has dominated 3 of 4 gens WW with ease.... What SMART decsions would make a PS gamer switch to Xbox? What if I told you Sony is not playing around?

 

[Windu]

Who was getting your money before Game Pass?

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Not many devs. I Only bought mlb the show and then maybe one other new game a year. Otherwise I would wait till games were extremely cheap. If Sony were to follow the examples of Game Pass and Origin Access Premier then I would sign up immediately.

 

[Prine]

The mainstream consumer just got off a year with God of War, Spiderman, and Detroit. Xbox has yet to deliver any thing close to even one of those games this gen.

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Erm, they did deliver a few months ago with FH4. And it's selling and performing extremely well, and a game of that calibre was on Gamepass day one. Calm down on the hyperbole.

 

[Yerffej]

These posts don't make sense..what countries would make MS make up a lot of ground? They would need to dominate the US and unless sony does something dumb that is not going to happen....People seem to underestimate Sony who has dominated 3 of 4 gens WW with ease.... What SMART decsions would make a PS gamer switch to Xbox?

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I'm saying it won't go like it did this gen. Not hard to grasp. MS did literally everything wrong out the gate.