Exclusivity Is AAA Video games’ “Achilles’ Heel” Says Former PlayStation Boss

Shawn Layden, the previous CEO of Sony Laptop Leisure America, has by no means been shy about sharing his ideas on the state of the trade, and this time he is taking intention at console unique titles. In an interview with GamesBeat, the trade veteran has referred to as AAA console exclusives an “Achilles’ heel,” saying corporations want to contemplate how the market has modified.

“When your prices for a sport exceed $200 million, exclusivity is your Achilles’ heel,” Layden stated, agreeing that releasing video games throughout platforms is crucial to market development. “It reduces your addressable market. Significantly while you’re on this planet of reside service gaming or free-to-play.”

“One other platform is simply one other means of opening the funnel, getting extra folks in. In a free-to-play world, as we all know, 95% p.c of these folks won’t ever spend a nickel. The enterprise is all about conversion. It’s important to enhance your odds by cracking the funnel open,” Layden continued. “Helldivers 2 has proven that for PlayStation, popping out on PC on the identical time. Once more, you get that funnel wider. You get extra folks in.”

The identical is true for single-player video games, Layden provides, although to a lesser extent. “When you’re spending $250 million, you need to have the ability to promote it to as many individuals as potential, even when it is simply 10% extra.” The rising price of sport growth is one thing Layden has spoken on earlier than, calling it an “existential menace” to the trade and advocating for a return to AA-style video games which can be smaller in scope.

Within the GamesBeat interview, Layden additionally requires extra innovation particularly within the console area, seeing a necessity for the trade to draw a brand new viewers. “We’re not going to draw them by doing extra of the shit we’re doing now,” he says. “If 95% of the world doesn’t need to play Name of Responsibility, Fortnite, and Grand Theft Auto, is the trade simply going to make extra Name of Responsibility, Fortnite and Grand Theft Auto? That is not going to get you anyone else.”

Now working as an advisor for corporations together with Tencent, Streamline Media Group, and NFT-focused gaming startup Readygg, Layden usually weighs in on the state of the trade, giving his recommendation as a veteran. The previous PlayStation CEO wasn’t a fan of Microsoft’s buy of Activision-Blizzard, and has warned of the affect of main corporations like Netflix, Google, Apple, and Amazon on the gaming ecosystem. Regardless of his warnings and recommendation, Layden commented comparatively optimistically on the mass layoffs within the trade, saying he would not consider the trade’s demise is wherever shut.