Former PlayStation Boss Says AAA Game Development Is Unsustainable

Shawn Layden, the former boss of PlayStation, has weighed in with his thoughts on the state of the AAA games business, and he thinks it's unsustainable. Speaking at the Gamelab Live conference, as reported by GI.biz, Layden said the commonly held idea that the cost of game development will double every new generation cannot continue.

"The problem with that model is it's just not sustainable," he said.

Layden recalled the days when the world's biggest video games were developed on budgets of around $1 million. Now, the cost of most AAA games is between $80 million and $150 million, he said, and that's before marketing expenses are factored in.