Layden’s abrupt departure came just before the PlayStation 5’s debut.
At the time, there were rumblings of a dispute between him and SIE President Jim Ryan.
Live-service games and subscription models were not a good fit for him.
I just make things like God of War and Spider-Man and Last of Us and Uncharted.
It is with great emotion that we announce that Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden will be departing SIE.
His visionary leadership will be greatly missed.
We wish him success in future endeavors and are deeply grateful for his years of service.
Thanks for everything, Shawn!
Sonyinvestedheavily in Concord, a phenomenal flop with a peak concurrent player count of 2,388.
His revelation is not too surprising.
Layden has openly criticized the general direction the games industry is headed.
He alsobelievesthat PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles mark the last of the big leaps in console hardware.
That said, Layden and Sony hold no ill will.
Layden had 30+ rewarding years with the company and left on good terms for greener pastures.
Sony waved him farewell in 2019, saying, “His visionary leadership will be greatly missed.
We wish him success in future endeavors and are deeply grateful for his years of service.
Thanks for everything, Shawn!”
