In a candid new interview, a former top executive at Sony has launched a scathing critique of the company's current strategic pivot toward live-service gaming, labeling the entire genre a "repetitive action engagement device" and warning of its siren's call for executives.
Shawn Layden's Stark Warning
Shawn Layden, the former Chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment America and one-time head of PlayStation Studios, did not mince words when discussing the industry's live-service obsession in a revealing conversation with The Ringer. Drawing a sharp line between traditional games and their always-online counterparts, Layden expressed a fundamental disagreement with the model.
“A live-service game to me isn’t really a game,” Layden stated. “It’s a repetitive action engagement device.”
This is a striking critique, not least because Layden himself was at the helm when the strategy was initially being formulated. In fact, toward the end of his tenure, he greenlit Helldivers 2 in 2019—a title that has since become a monumental success for Sony on both PlayStation and PC. Yet, even the success of a project he approved hasn't softened his view on the broader direction.
The Three Pillars of a "Real Game" vs. The Live-Service Loop
Layden laid out a clear definition of what he believes constitutes a true video game experience. He argued that real games need “three things”: a compelling story, memorable characters, and an immersive world.
He then contrasted this with his view of live-service titles, which he reduced to a different, more cynical trio of requirements: “a repetitive action that most people can get their head around, an ability to communicate in that world with other like-minded people, and the desire to do it again and again.”
For Layden, the pursuit of live-service success is a dangerous trap for publishers. He described Sony's fixation as a “siren’s call” that has “ensorcelled,” or bewitched, executives for years.
“It’s like a mirage on the top of a sand dune,” he explained. “You pursue it. You can’t quite get there. Or if you do get there, what you brought to the party no one wants to play anyway.”
You can read the full, in-depth interview with Shawn Layden on The Ringer here.
Sony's Rocky Road in the Live-Service Arena
Layden's comments come at a time when PlayStation's live-service ambitions have faced significant and very public challenges. The aggressive push was a cornerstone of the strategy under former CEO Jim Ryan, who announced in 2022 that Sony planned to launch a staggering 12 new live-service games by 2026.
That grand vision has since been dramatically scaled back. To date, Sony has canceled at least eight of those planned titles. The list of casualties reads like a graveyard of would-be blockbusters:
- The Last of Us Online, Naughty Dog's highly anticipated but ultimately canceled multiplayer project.
- A live-service God of War title.
- A Horizon MMO.
- A new Twisted Metal game.
- Unannounced live-service projects from Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games.
The most spectacular failure, however, was Concord. Developed by Firewalk Studios, the sci-fi shooter was reportedly in development for years with a budget rumored to be around $400 million. Upon its release, it was met with widespread negative reception, peaking at an abysmal 697 concurrent players on Steam before Sony pulled the plug and refunded all players just two weeks after launch.
Helldivers 2: The Exception That Proves the Rule?
Amidst this landscape of high-profile cancellations and failures, one title stands as a colossal outlier: Helldivers 2. The cooperative shooter from Arrowhead Game Studios has been a runaway success, defying the odds to become one of PlayStation's most-played games on PC and even finding a massive audience on Xbox. With over 19 million copies sold across all platforms, it is the undeniable proof that live-service can work for Sony.
Yet, its success seems to underscore Layden's point about the fickleness of the genre. Helldivers 2 succeeded not by following a corporate-mandated checklist, but by capturing a unique, community-driven magic—a quality that has proven elusive for Sony's other, more expensive attempts to replicate.
As PlayStation moves forward, the words of its former boss serve as a stark reminder of the high-risk, high-reward nature of the live-service gold rush—a mirage that many pursue, but few truly capture.
Ready to experience the live-service title that broke the mold? Check out Helldivers 2 on Amazon.
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