Former Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios head Shu Yoshida has shared his thoughts on the company’s recent live service push.
During an interview on the Kinda Funny Gamescast, former Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida reflected on his tenure and the industry’s ongoing shift toward live service games. Speaking about his experiences and decisions during his leadership, he offered some insight into the challenges of balancing creative vision, business demands, and the evolving landscape.
Yoshida acknowledged the industry’s current obsession with chasing the next big live service hit that can deliver success similar to that of games like Fortnite. He mentioned that during his time managing first-party studios, Sony Interactive Entertainment largely avoided competing in the multiplayer shooter domain, as it was dominated by juggernauts like Call of Duty. Instead, resources were allocated to areas where the company could excel, focusing on single-player narrative-driven experiences.
The former Worldwide Studios head said that he didn’t think it was wise to allocate resources to compete in genres that have a “winner-takes-all market”. According to him, competing with Call of Duty, a game already available on PlayStation, seemed counterproductive. By steering clear of head-to-head competition in saturated markets, Sony Interactive Entertainment carved out a niche, producing acclaimed franchises like God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn.
However, Yoshida revealed that after his departure from the role, the company shifted its strategy. Under Herman Hulst as the Worldwide Studios head, Sony Interactive Entertainment embraced live service games more aggressively, investing in multiple projects, including Fairgames, Concord, and Marathon. He expressed mixed feelings about this pivot, saying that if he had been in Hulst’s position, he could have resisted that direction. He joked about it possibly being the reason behind his removal from the role. However, he pointed out that Sony provided additional resources for these live service projects, rather than diverting from single-player games. According to him, this is the right way to take on such risks.
