Ex-PlayStation Boss Blasts Fortnite and Overwatch Copycats, Says Chasing Easy Money Is a Dead End
The hype is deafening; the odds are brutal — for most, it doesn't happen. We examine why the dream so rarely becomes reality, and who profits when it doesn't.
Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden just poured a big bucket of cold water on the live-service gold rush. If you have visions of battle passes funding your retirement, he says you might be chasing a mirage.
Layden vs. the live-service dream
In a new chat with The Ringer, Layden called out how crowded the space has gotten, and how much of it is built on the hope that recurring revenue will magically smooth out ballooning development costs. His read: most teams that try to take on the genre do not make it to the promised land.
"The highway is littered with people wanting to take on Fortnite, with people trying to do Overwatch with different skins."
He also pushed back on calling these games... games. Layden says he prefers the term "repetitive action engagement device[s]" and makes it clear he is more into projects that live and die on character, story, and worldbuilding.
The money fantasy, punctured
Layden is blunt about the motivation. Plenty of studios aim at live service because they imagine a never-ending stream of cash. His point is simple: for most, that payday never arrives. And it is especially optimistic given where the industry is right now — oversaturated, constantly reshuffling with sudden layoffs, while the indie scene keeps expanding and AI tools are multiplying, not slowing.
The awkward timing
It is hard not to clock the irony here. Sony has been pushing into this territory itself, and you can already see hero shooters like Marvel Rivals in the mix on PlayStation. Layden, of course, used to run Sony Interactive Entertainment — which makes his comments feel extra spicy.
- Live-service is crowded, and most challengers do not make it.
- Studios lean on battle passes, paid updates, and other recurring hooks to offset costs — the payoff rarely matches the dream.
- Layden argues these are not really games in the traditional sense, dubbing them "repetitive action engagement device[s]."
- He still champions character-driven, story-first experiences.
Meanwhile, a single-player stalwart pivots
Adding to the whiplash, the studio behind Heavy Rain — Quantic Dream — is working on a competitive multiplayer project while development on Star Wars: Eclipse continues. That is a surprising swing for a team known almost entirely for narrative-heavy, single-player adventures. It is also a great example of why Layden is sounding the alarm: even the storytellers are feeling the pull to chase the live-service jackpot.