Beloved former PlayStation executive, Shawn Layden, has said that he decided to leave Sony because he was getting burned out and wanted to “put the pin in my legacy.”
In a recent interview with Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Layden delved into the reasons behind his departure for the first time. He stepped down as CEO of SIE Worldwide Studios in September 2019, which many saw as an abrupt move. Layden largely chose to remain silent, leading to speculations of a power struggle between him and current SIE CEO, Jim Ryan.
Interestingly, when Schreier quizzed Layden about the rumored face-off with Ryan, he neither confirmed nor denied anything – choosing instead to reiterate that it was time for him to step down.
“It’s a young person’s activity,” Layden said. “I felt: This is a good time to put the pin in my legacy. That seemed like a good time to step off on top and allow another generation to take the PlayStation 5 to market. I think I took my time at the moment I saw best to take it, and I couldn’t be happier.”
At the time of his departure, Layden had been serving Sony for over thirty years. He joined the company’s corporate communications department in Tokyo in 1987. Layden has previously said that the acquisition of Insomniac Games was one of his greatest career achievements.
In July, Layden announced that he has joined the advisory board of entertainment company, Streamline Media Group. Since leaving Sony, he has been a vocal critic of ballooning AAA budgets, calling them unsustainable.
[Source: Bloomberg]
