Former PlayStation Executive Reveals Studios Opt for Live-Service Models to Improve Project Approval Chances

Alright, folks, here’s the scoop: Shuhei Yoshida, the former PlayStation bigwig, has opened up about the game-development landscape at PlayStation. According to him, none of the company’s first-party studios have been coerced into jumping on the live-service game bandwagon. Instead, it seems these studios have voluntarily embraced this “big initiative,” largely because they see it as a promising way to get their projects greenlit and backed.

In a chat with Sacred Symbols+—hat tip to Push Square for the coverage—Yoshida shared these insights, though, let’s be honest, it’s kind of what you’d expect from someone who’s been in an executive role at such a major corporation.

Yoshida emphasized that the studios weren’t strong-armed into the live-service game model. He explained, “From what I know, when studios recognize that the company is focused on a major initiative, they believe going along with it might improve their chances of getting a project approved and supported.”

He added, “It’s not as if Hermen Hulst [the current boss at PlayStation Studios] is demanding teams create live-service games. It’s more of a mutual understanding.”

While technically true, it does seem like Yoshida’s veering into some corporate jargon. If you think about it, if studios perceive their executives have a fascination with a certain trend and decide that following suit will help them avoid the dreaded cycle of rejected pitches, it doesn’t exactly promote the healthiest company culture. It’s something execs should ideally be looking to improve.

Call me an idealist, but shouldn’t companies like PlayStation be creating an environment where their top studios feel they can confidently pitch any idea they believe in, based on their unique expertise and understanding of market demands? Instead of everyone jumping on a trend, they risk overcrowding an area that was already competitive, especially before PlayStation’s ambitious—albeit not entirely successful—push into the live-service domain.

But hey, I haven’t spent decades steering one of the gaming industry’s giants, so who am I to judge? Yoshida doesn’t necessarily claim this situation is ideal, just that it’s reality.

And on the topic of PlayStation’s recent live-service project cancellations, he admits, “Yeah, it sucks.”