Former Sony Interactive Entertainment America CEO Shawn Layden has expressed clear dissatisfaction with Sony’s latest business direction for its gaming division. His reaction came after comments from Sony Group Senior Vice President Sadahiko Hayakawa during the company’s recent financial briefing for the quarter ending June 30, 2025.
Hayakawa revealed that Sony is gradually moving away from a hardware-centric gaming model in favor of a platform business that emphasizes community building and engagement. According to him, this transformation aligns with a broader corporate strategy to focus on “creation” across the company’s entertainment segments. Games, music, and film currently account for roughly 60 percent of Sony’s total revenue. He also pointed to other shifts within the company, such as moving from output devices like televisions toward creation devices like digital cameras, as well as investments in streaming services, content catalogs, and partnerships with entertainment companies such as Bandai Namco.
In response to a social media post summarizing these remarks, Layden shared a GIF of God of War protagonist Kratos sitting down and placing his hand over his face—a gesture that many interpreted as a facepalm. While he offered no verbal commentary, the image suggested his disappointment with Sony’s changing priorities for the PlayStation brand.
Signs of this strategic shift have been visible for several years. PlayStation began releasing first-party titles on PC, signaling a move beyond its own consoles. More recently, a job listing emerged for a Senior Director of Multiplatform and Account Management, tasked with overseeing the commercial strategy for PlayStation titles across multiple platforms, including Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox, Nintendo, and mobile devices. The role reports directly to the Vice President of Commercial Management and aims to expand PlayStation Studios’ reach beyond its traditional hardware ecosystem.
Layden, who held various senior roles at Sony—including Chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios and President and CEO of SIEA—has long been tied to the company’s traditional approach of driving hardware sales through exclusive content. His reaction highlights the unease some industry veterans may feel as Sony moves toward a service-oriented, multiplatform future.
