Former PlayStation Executive Reveals Studios Opt for Live-Service Games to Enhance Project Approval Chances

No worries, folks. Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida clarified that, as far as he knows, none of the first-party studios under PlayStation have been forced into developing live-service games. It seems more like they’ve opted to participate in this “big initiative,” thinking it might give their projects a better chance of getting the green light and backing.

In an interview with Sacred Symbols+ (shoutout to Push Square for highlighting this), Yoshida, soon to lend his voice to a duck mascot, shared these insights. It’s intriguing, albeit the kind of remark you’d expect from someone who’s held a leadership role at a major company.

Yoshida went on to emphasize that studios aren’t being shoved into the live-service route, stating, “From my experience, when studios notice the company has a significant focus, they realize aligning with that gives them a better opportunity to gain project approval and support.”

He added, “It’s not like [current PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst] is ordering teams to make live-service games. It likely works both ways.”

While Yoshida isn’t technically wrong, there’s a whiff of corporate jargon here. If studios perceive that syncing with their bosses’ interests boosts their chances of avoiding the dreaded limbo of rejected pitches—a serious issue we’ve heard about—it raises questions about the company’s internal dynamics. Shouldn’t executives work to prevent this?

Call me an idealist, but major companies like PlayStation should be cultivating an atmosphere where their top studios feel trusted to propose ideas based on their expertise and market fit. Instead of everyone jumping on the company-wide trend, only to saturate a space that, even before PlayStation’s somewhat troubled push into live-service games, was notoriously tough to crack.

I admit, I haven’t spent decades managing one of gaming’s giants. And to Yoshida’s credit, he isn’t necessarily saying this is a good trend—just acknowledging it exists.

Finally, on the topic of the recently shelved live-service projects at PlayStation, he candidly commented, “Yeah, it sucks.”