Old PlayStation boss Shawn Layden has gone on to criticize recent gaming acquisitions as after a point, they can harm creativity. This is the same boss whose highlight of his career was being part of the Insomniac Games purchase.
During his appearance on the Lan Parties podcast (via Kotaku), he expressed how acquisitions can harm creativity and stifle voices. He also isn’t a fan of how many devs keep the same couple genres to ensure sales. Meanwhile, Layden also showed his support to games preservation, something many companies struggle to accomplish. While Sony technically has a games preservation department, we don’t hear much about it or its goals.
Since abruptly leaving, and later explaining why he left, he’s become a strong voice for those concerned about the way the video game industry is headed. He’s under the valid belief that creativity and unique ideas are a novel concept in the space as dev costs rise.
“If we continue to coalesce around the four or five genres, then we won’t get the new players because those people have already said we’re not interested in your genres. Don’t kid yourself that someone who’s said ‘no’ to Call of Duty for the last 15 years is going to start suddenly saying ‘yes’ to Call of Duty.”
What do you think? Do you think acquisition sprees stifle creativity, or do they offer more for the developer to spread its wings with a more established backing? Let us know below!
