Former PlayStation CEO: Risk Tolerance Has Disappeared Due to Ballooning Development Budgets
While games these days look and sound a lot better than what we had decades ago, it’s hard to deny that games these days play it much safer too.
Usually, the games we get nowadays are similar to what we’ve played previously, with some games obviously taking inspiration from another title. Either it’s a third-person action game with open world elements, or it’s a first-person shooter that emphasizes multiplayer, or something more narrative-driven.
It’s a far cry from how things were during the SNES and even PS1 days, where games like Vib Ribbon, PaRappa the Rapper, and the like showed us new ways to play, and one person shared info as to why that’s not happening nowadays.
Former PlayStation CEO Explains Why Studios are Taking Less Risk With New Games
One person very knowledgeable about how gaming works from a corporate standpoint is Shawn Layden, the former CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
In an interview with French outlet PSI, talked about artistic ambition, and how development costs have reduced risks from developers.
Layden states, “If we could develop a game for $5 million or $6 million, like in the days of the PS1, then we’d make $10. Ten different games through which the audience’s sensibilities could be expressed. We had so many weird games on PS1, because the cost and risk were manageable. You could literally spend $6 million or $7 million on a project that didn’t work, and it didn’t matter. At worst, we learned the lesson.”
“Now, if each project costs $100 million or more, the risk tolerance disappears. Executives in the industry are trying to find out if it is a sequel, an established license… They want to be told that the game in question looks like Fortnite mixed with Call of Duty in the world of Zombieland. You have to come up with pitches of this type to get funding. You’re right, deep down, no one wants to finance a game about a ballet of unicorns in space.” Layden added.
The former PlayStation boss matter-of-factly points out, “As long as we analyze gaming projects through a purely financial prism, risk tolerance will remain non-existent,” which seems like a fair assessment at this point.
I can’t say I disagree with Layden. While games these days do look like movies and have better production values, the artistic vision of most developers have been stymied, and this is due to publishers looking for the next big hit, which means they need to fit a certain template.
With the high cost of games development, more and more studios are playing it safe, and it’s we gamers who are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to creativity.
In other gaming news, Layden’s former headquarters has announced that starting January 2028, Sony won’t be manufacturing discs for new games anymore.
Stay connected to MP1st and the latest news by following us on Bluesky, X, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Google News.
