Summary
FormerPlayStationexecutive Shawn Layden has addressed his grievances about exclusivity on the PS5 and shared why it doesn’t sit right with the modern-day game industry, where budgets are ballooning and layoffs are rampant.
Banking on exclusivity is a key part ofPlayStation’s strategy for outperforming its rivals, Xbox and Nintendo. Across the current console generation, it has leveraged PlayStation exclusives, such asGod of War: RagnarokandMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, to reap notable commercial success. However, not everyone who has worked for the console giant seems to be in favor of keeping games restricted to one platform.
Inan interview with VentureBeat, Shawn Layden, the ex-chief at Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, suggested exclusivity is more of a problem than a perk. He said, “When your costs for a game exceed $200 million, exclusivity is your Achilles’ heel.” Layden highlighted how exclusivity works against free-to-play and live-service games by limiting the audience, which limits the revenue. Further, he underlined the success of PlayStation’s newest live-service game,Helldivers 2, which came out on PS5 and PC simultaneously.
While Layden admitted that exclusivity hurts single-player games on a comparatively smaller scale, he justified his stancefor more multi-platform launchesin this category by bringing the budget into perspective. He said, “For single-player games, it’s not the same exigency. But if you’re spending $250 million, you want to be able to sell it to as many people as possible, even if it’s just 10% more.”
Why and How PlayStation May Be Altering Its Approach Exclusivity
The big draw for PlayStation in 2023wasMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, built on a budget of over $300 million. A year before,God of War: Ragnarok, landed after around $200 million was spent on its development. Clearly, the budget of tentpole AAA games is consistently increasing, making it even harder to generate a profit. Consequentially, releasing games exclusively on a single platform becomes a risky move. In the worst-case scenario, underperforming sales can force the developers to cut costs, leading to a layoff wave similar to the one that is currently ravaging the industry.
Despite focusing on exclusivity for years, it seems like PlayStation may finally be budging, if the past few years are anything to go by. Starting withHorizon Zero Dawnin 2020, the Japanese firm has been steadily shipping its exclusives to PC. Since then, the time PlayStation takes to bring an exclusive game to PC has only reduced.Horizon Zero Dawntook 3 years to come to PC, whereasHorizon Forbidden Westisset to arrive on PCjust 2 years after its initial launch.Helldivers 2releasing on PS5 and PC at the same time is also something unprecedented in recent memory. Going forward, it’ll be interesting to track how PlayStation shapes its PC strategy and if that falls in line with Layden’s views.
PS5
Sony’s PlayStation 5 is part of the ninth console generation and debuted with a launch lineup that included Demon’s Souls and Astro’s Playroom. The console comes with a Blu-ray disc, although a digital-only edition is also available for a cheaper price.
