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Arguably the biggest strength of PlayStation has been its single-player IPs. There are some fantastic properties such as Horizon, God of War, Astro Bot, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and The Last of Us, and there are others in the PlayStation library that, unfortunately, are pretty much dormant while Sony focus on a select few franchises and try to strike gold with the live-service genre. There are numerous IPs from the past PlayStation fans would love to see return, and former PlayStation boss, Shawn Layden, has revealed the dead IPs he would “absolutely” greenlight for new games if he was still at Sony.
Former PlayStation boss reveals dead IPs he would “absolutely” greenlight for new games
Shawn Layden was previously the president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America and chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios before leaving in 2019 and later claiming his departure was due to burnout.
Some of the biggest and most magnificent series he oversaw during his time at PlayStation include God of War, Horizon, Uncharted, and The Last of Us. In interviews, Shawn Layden has been outspoken about the current state of AAA gaming budgets while also crying for more creativity, but he has also made some controversial statements such as calling Game Pass developers “wage slaves,” and saying that games are still “too cheap,” even as some publishers aim to raise the standard price to $80.
Now in an interview with HipHopGamer, Shawn Layden has discussed some of the dead PlayStation IPs he would greenlight for new games. Asked about Resistance, the former PlayStation boss responded, “definitely green”. Layden then said “absolutely” for a new Jak & Daxter. Layden said that he greenlit a new Ratchet and Clank for PS4 against the wishes of marketing people who were under the impression that “nobody wants to play that old game”.
After Jak & Daxter, Layden was asked about SOCOM. The former PlayStation boss was less straightforward with the multiplayer shooter as he said it’s “tricky” even though “as a name SOCOM still has value”.
The final two IPs Layden discussed were The Order 1886 and PlayStation All Stars. For The Order 1886, Layden was again hesitant, saying that he “wouldn’t do a remake” and that, although the “world was certainly compelling,” it’s a series that would “need to improve the player mechanic for more real-time combat sequences”.
Lastly, for PlayStation All Stars, Layden gave it a “yellow light”. This is because Layden likes the “concept of bringing all the [PlayStation] characters together,” but it “didn’t quite have the kinetic feel that Smash Bros. did”.
Of course, this is all hyperbole as Layden no longer has any input for what happens at Sony. And, unfortunately, there are no rumors or leaks for any of these dead IPs making a comeback, at least anytime soon. While there’s always the possibility of remakes and remasters, a new Resistance and Jak & Daxter seem unlikely as Insomniac Games and Naughty Dog are dealing with IPs such as Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the new Intergalactic.
Sony also reportedly turned down a sequel to The Order 1886 because of its critical reception, meanwhile, there’s no word at all about another PlayStation All Stars.
In other PlayStation news, PS5 price increases have happened again, and Sword of the Sea director has said Sony “saved us” with PS Plus day-one release.
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