Shawn Layden, the former Chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, recently shared his insights on the shifting trajectory of the console industry.
Layden observed that the line between consoles and PCs is blurring, with PlayStation titles increasingly migrating to desktop platforms and Xbox releasing games that were once strictly exclusive. However, he remains convinced that the era of exclusivity is far from over.
Not every title needs to be tethered to a single platform, yet for Sony and PlayStation, exclusives are still a fundamental part of their DNA.
He pointed to the Uncharted franchise as a definitive example of how certain games establish a platform’s unique identity and value proposition.
If Mario ever sets foot on a PlayStation, it will signal the end of the industry as we know it.
Additionally, Layden argued that multiplayer experiences thrive on accessibility and should remain cross-platform to sustain a healthy player base. He suggested this logic might influence the potential arrival of titles like Helldivers 2 on competing hardware.
Drawing a parallel to the historic format war between VHS and Betamax, he noted that Sony lost that battle because Betamax remained a closed, proprietary system, while VHS was widely licensed and adopted by numerous manufacturers. In his view, current consoles are trapped in a “Betamax” mentality—a model he believes must eventually evolve to stay relevant.
Source: iXBT.games