Fans of PlayStation want Shawn Layden back. Sony Interactive Entertainment's Chairman for Worldwide Studios, Shawn Layden left Sony back in 2019, and in some ways, the company did not seem to miss a beat initially. The PlayStation 4 continued to do very well and the launch of the PlayStation 5 was seen as a massive success. But there are changing dynamics that fans of PlayStation are feeling over time, and many of them want to see Layden and his leadership return.

When Layden left, Jim Ryan took over in his stead. And with PlayStation clearly coming from a position of leading the race thanks to the success of the PS4, some wonder about the ongoing decision making and if they are in the best interest of the gamer. It is Xbox that is providing incredible value propositions with Xbox Game Pass and focusing on the games and services it contains, and this is something that fans are speaking out on.

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There was a moment during The Game Awards 2018 where Shawn Layden, then-Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, and Phil Spencer of Xbox all shared the stage together in a rather monumental moment. Those leaders--all in their own unique ways--led (and continue to in the case of Spencer) their companies with a huge focus on games. Recently a video of a Shawn Layden speech from E3 from many years ago has surfaced and it makes it obvious how much Layden enjoyed gaming, and how much that was a focus with the way he led.

On the stage, Layden captivated the crowd. He was always sure to thank fans, the community, large teams, small teams, musicians, voice actors, artists, and more feel, as well as make them feel involved and important. Storytelling was key to Layden but at the core of it all was, according to him, "play."

That gameplay matters to fans, that enjoyment of playing video games is important. One Twitter user pointed out that Jim Ryan apparently likes to spend his free time reading novels, while Shawn Layden recently was seen playing and posting pictures of the highly-received Ghost of Tsushima, long after he left the company. So him enjoying the game was not lip service. While there is certainly nothing wrong with Ryan enjoying a good book, it appears that fans wonder about his passion for gaming.

Very interestingly, Layden has been "liking" tweets from fans, pundits, and insiders during this sudden outburst of appreciation. Perhaps he is simply enjoying the idea that his popularity has exploded on a quiet Friday afternoon, but it is fascinating to see him "like" comments about wanting him to return, the difference between Ryan's and Layden's leadership, and even the idea that PlayStation is a different company than it was when he left only a few years ago.

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