Former Sony Executive Says Xbox Moves Show 'Basic Misunderstanding'

Shawn Layden, the former CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America and chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios, wrote on LinkedIn that a string of recent Xbox decisions "evince a basic misunderstanding of how the interactive entertainment world moves." He made the comment in response to a post by consultant Tadhg Kelly that listed a series of moves he saw as signs of an identity crisis at Xbox.

Kelly's list included a new CEO, a rebrand described as "kinda just the old brand," a reaffirmation of Helix, claims about hardware costs and margins, new tech-industry hires including Matthew Ball, a renewed focus on core franchises, a showcase of new games and plans to close studios making those games.

Reacting to news of potential studio closures, Layden added: "I think the SpaceX euphemism may apply here: 'Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly'. The last couple weeks have been a real roller coaster. Feel bad for the dev teams.

United States

shawn layden, sony, xbox, tadhg kelly, helix, matthew ball, rebrand, studio closures, dev teams, hardware costs