While there are already other threads (Death Stranding, release dates) made from this great interview with Shawn Layden, I didn't see the following quotes pulled out yet. They act as a counterpoint to Phil Spencer's pursuit of service-based games:
You should read the whole interview if you can. A lot of great details in there, including their rationale for the streamlined E3 showcase this year:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gaming/w...ions-shawn-layden-death-stranding-spider-man/
While [Microsoft] are doubling down on games as services, such as Minecraft and Sea of Thieves, and community driven PC-friendly titles like Playerunknowns Battlegrounds and State of Decay, Sony continue to invest in lavish, story-driven AAA blockbusters. Does Layden agree with that assessment of the respective philosophies?
My philosophy is to play to my strengths, he argues. And if you look at the studios we have - Naughty Dog, Guerrilla, Santa Monica Studios, Japan Studios - thats what we do well. We do story. We create characters. I was so gratified to see the response to [Horizon Zero Dawn protagonist] Aloy when she showed up on the screen and the crowd went wild.
Those are the kind of things we do well. Its what were known for. It really speaks to our entertainment DNA. We wish to entertain. We wish to make you happy. We wish to make you cry. That whole range of emotions we can pluck at to make you have a great experience.
Games as a service? We have a bit of that with our MLB [The Show] title - its got the same virtual currency a lot of sports have - and we have other titles that come up that play in that space. But if you want to make a big generalisation about what does Worldwide Studios do? Were big on character. Were big on story.
So you are happy to concede that ground to Microsoft?
Im not conceding anything, Layden snaps back. I reserve the right to enter anything at any time if I have a team and a concept that works in that space.
You should read the whole interview if you can. A lot of great details in there, including their rationale for the streamlined E3 showcase this year:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gaming/w...ions-shawn-layden-death-stranding-spider-man/