Former PlayStation Executive Claims Studios Choose Live-Service Games for Better Approval Odds

No need to panic, folks. Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida recently assured everyone that, as far as he knows, none of PlayStation’s first-party studios have been coerced into creating live-service games. Instead, it appears they’ve opted to align with this “big initiative” because they believe it’ll boost their chances of having their projects approved and supported.

During an interview with Sacred Symbols+ (much appreciation to Push Square for highlighting this), Yoshida, who will soon lend his voice to a duck mascot, shared this insight. While the statement is intriguing, it’s pretty standard for someone who’s held a significant role in such a massive company.

In the conversation, Yoshida explained, “Based on my experience, when studios see that the company is driving a big initiative, they understand that joining in enhances their chances of getting a project greenlit and receiving support.” He added, “It’s not as if Hermen Hulst, the current head of PlayStation Studios, is directing teams to create live-service games. It’s more of a mutual understanding.”

Sure, Yoshida’s technically correct, but it does seem like he’s venturing into some corporate lingo here. If studios perceive that following their superiors’ fixation on a certain trend could prevent them from sliding into a dreaded state of numerous rejected pitches, it might not be the healthiest dynamic. Executives should probably be working to avoid this scenario.

I know this might sound a bit naive, but shouldn’t major players like PlayStation strive to nurture environments where their leading studios feel trusted by the higher-ups? Studios should be empowered to propose games that they believe align with their unique skills and understandings of the market. Rather than simply jumping on a company-wide bandwagon, they might crowd into an already crowded market, particularly when it comes to live-service games, which were challenging to break into even before PlayStation’s ambitious and somewhat unsuccessful push.

Of course, I’m not sitting here with decades of experience steering one of the biggest gaming companies. Plus, it’s fair to acknowledge that Yoshida isn’t necessarily endorsing this trend—he’s just shedding light on the reality.

Regarding the live-service projects that PlayStation recently shelved, Yoshida simply stated, “Yeah, it sucks.” So there’s that.