Former PlayStation Executive Suggests Studios Opt for Live-Service Games to Enhance Approval and Support Opportunities

Don’t worry everyone, because Shuhei Yoshida, a former PlayStation executive, has reassured us that, as far as he knows, none of PlayStation’s first-party studios have been pressured into developing live-service games. It seems they’ve voluntarily embraced this “big initiative,” largely because they believe it increases their likelihood of having projects green-lit and supported.

Yoshida shared these insights during an interview with Sacred Symbols+ (thanks to Push Square for highlighting it), and while intriguing, it’s kind of the standard response you’d anticipate from someone who’s held a top position at a major corporation.

In the discussion, Yoshida emphasized that studios aren’t being coerced into adopting live-service models. “From my experience,” he explained, “when studios notice that the company has a major focus, they understand that aligning with it offers them a better shot at getting a project approved and funded.”

He continued, “It’s not like [current PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst] is instructing teams that they must create live-service games. It’s probably a mutual decision.”

Technically, Yoshida isn’t wrong, but his words do strike as a bit of corporate lingo. Suggesting that studios adopt a trend because their leadership is enthusiastic about it—thinking that going along with it might prevent them from landing in that dreaded development limbo—might not be the healthiest corporate strategy. Ideally, executives should work to counteract this.

Sure, it’s a bit idealistic, but companies like PlayStation ought to be nurturing an atmosphere where their top studios feel trusted to pitch the games they believe best leverage their talents and align with market trends. Instead of jumping on the bandwagon and oversaturating a challenging space—like the live-service market, which was already difficult to thrive in before PlayStation’s rather unsuccessful push—studios should be encouraged to innovate.

I have to admit, I haven’t spent three decades steering a major gaming corporation. Plus, to give Yoshida some credit, he isn’t necessarily endorsing this approach, just pointing out its existence.

And when it comes to the recently scrapped live-service projects at PlayStation, Yoshida candidly remarked, “Yeah, it sucks.”