Ex-Sony exec Shawn Layden slams Sony's PC pullback as nonsensical

Earlier this month Shawn Layden said ongoing problems at Xbox “evince a basic misunderstanding of how the interactive entertainment world moves.” Now he’s taken aim at his former employer, criticizing Sony’s pullback from the PC market. After years of strict exclusivity, Sony began releasing games on PC to strong returns—Shuhei Yoshida even called it “almost like printing money.” But earlier this year Sony started to back away from that strategy; no formal announcement was made, but the pullback became apparent. In a new interview with PSI, Layden said bringing PlayStation games to PC wasn’t primarily about immediate sales but about getting Sony properties in front of people who otherwise wouldn’t see them. “Not necessarily because they're going to buy a PlayStation,” he said. “I wasn't that crazy. I didn't think that was going to happen.” He added that expanding IP into films, TV, comics and merchandise requires as many eyeballs as possible.