Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden has criticized current gaming acquisitions, warning towards extreme consolidation. Layden was an completed govt at Sony Interactive Leisure, the place one of many largest highlights of his profession was the acquisition of Marvel’s Spider-Man studio Insomniac Video games. However Layden says there comes some extent the place usurping firms stifles creativity.
Are gaming acquisitions going too far?
Throughout an interview with Lan Events podcast (through Kotaku), Layden mentioned that acquisitions are a constructive factor in some circumstances, however they develop into an issue when smaller groups develop into answerable to massive organizations with completely different objectives, killing “creativity urge” and stifling voices. He additionally thinks the trade has develop into stagnant as builders hover across the similar few genres to promote video games.
“If we proceed to coalesce across the 4 or 5 genres, then we received’t get the brand new gamers as a result of these folks have already mentioned we’re not fascinated by your genres,” Layden mentioned. “Don’t child your self that somebody who’s mentioned ‘no’ to Name of Responsibility for the final 15 years goes to start out immediately saying ‘sure’ to Name of Responsibility.”
Elsewhere, Layden mentioned that the trade wants to start out taking sport preservation severely as a result of the multi-million greenback video games being produced aren’t “throw-away stuff we’re making.” “That is stuff that needs to be round for a very long time as a result of future generations will take pleasure in it in the identical means that we’ve got, and it’s felony that we’re not doing extra to guard it,” he concluded.
