Compared to Xbox, PlayStation has made significant progress in accessing the Japanese markets and has local game studios in the global gaming industry, which is logical considering it is a Japanese company. While many have praised the giant company for its recent progress, former PlayStation president Shawn Layden expressed a very pessimistic view of the current Japanese gaming market.
Shawn Layden criticized Japanese studios for trying to reach a global audience, stating that many of these teams have not succeeded in attracting global attention, and believes that these studios should focus on local markets first before delving into radical international projects.
In a new interview with IGN Japan, the former CEO of PlayStation also shared his pessimistic view of the Japanese gaming market in general, pointing out that many Japanese studios have failed to regain their previous successes in recent times. This view contrasts with the recent developments of first-party Japanese studios such as Team Asobi and others, as he continued:
Many of these teams have not achieved success for a long time and are now struggling to recreate their past success.
Shawn also found it unsurprising that PlayStation Japan Studios merged with Team Asobi, as the former seemingly failed to achieve a successful release for a long time. On the other hand, he praised Square Enix for abandoning its ambition to expand development overseas to ensure it does not neglect the local Japanese market.
