Former Sony Exec Warns AAA Game Focus Threatens Industry Creativity

Shawn Layden criticizes the gaming industry's reliance on blockbusters, citing rising costs and the disappearance of AA studios as stifling innovation.

Shawn Layden, former Sony Interactive Entertainment chairman, argues that the focus on high-budget games is causing a 'collapse of creativity' in the industry.
Layden highlights how ballooning development costs lead to risk-averse decisions, resulting in sequels and copycat games rather than innovative new ideas.
The disappearance of AA studios is seen as a threat to the gaming ecosystem, leaving a gap between indie developers and AAA studios.
Layden suggests that empowering developers in emerging markets could help grow the global gaming audience and diversify the industry.
He dismisses the notion that AI will solve industry challenges, viewing it as a tool rather than a transformative solution.