Exclusivity Is AAA Games' "Achilles' Heel" Says Former PlayStation Boss

Shawn Layden, the former CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, has never been shy about sharing his thoughts on the state of the industry, and this time he’s taking aim at console exclusive titles. In an interview with GamesBeat, the industry veteran has called AAA console exclusives an “Achilles’ heel,” saying companies need to consider how the market has changed.

“When your costs for a game exceed $200 million, exclusivity is your Achilles’ heel,” Layden said, agreeing that releasing games across platforms is essential to market growth. “It reduces your addressable market. Particularly when you’re in the world of live service gaming or free-to-play.”

“Another platform is just another way of opening the funnel, getting more people in. In a free-to-play world, as we know, 95% percent of those people will never spend a nickel. The business is all about conversion. You have to improve your odds by cracking the funnel open,” Layden continued. “Helldivers 2 has shown that for PlayStation, coming out on PC at the same time. Again, you get that funnel wider. You get more people in.”

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