PlayStation spent years building up its brand as the premiere home for big, AAA, story-driven blockbusters, and to say that its big pivot to live-service gaming has been met with skepticism would be a massive understatement. Shawn Layden, who served as head of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios from 2014 through 2019, is among the skeptics – in fact, he doesn't believe live-service titles are real games at all.
"A live-service game to me isn't really a game. It's a repetitive action engagement device," Layden tells The Ringer.
