Former PlayStation Boss: Microsoft’s Strategy Could Weaken Xbox Console Sales

In an interview with Kiwi Talkz, Shawn Layden shared his thoughts about Microsoft’s multiplatform move and why it might be bad for their consoles as Microsoft will lose “Console FOMO”.

In a one-hour interview with Shawn Layden, there was a segment when Reece Reilly, the host of Kiwi Talkz, asked Shawn about his opinion on Microsoft’s latest multiplatform approach. Shawn thinks that while it broadens Microsoft’s market, it will result in players moving away from Xbox consoles.

According to him, the reason for this is the company’s games being available on other platforms. If your game is available on all platforms, it’s hard to “sell the only on my platform story”. This means that Microsoft will have a hard time convincing players to buy their console if there are no games exclusive to it.

However, something like this has already happened. Shawn pointed out that he was already in the business when SEGA moved their games from Dreamcast to PS2 and then became a massively successful software-only company. 

The interview was uploaded on February 2 on Kiwi Talkz’s channel. In the video, Reece Reilly asked Shawn about his thoughts on different things that the industry is going through. This includes ballooning costs of development, how FOMO is used in marketing, and the PS Vita’s failure.

Shawn Layden was CEO and Chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment from 2014 until 2019. His role shifted to focusing solely on PlayStation Studios in 2018. He stepped down from his leadership role in 2019. He’s currently working with Tencent Games as its strategic advisor.