“Shawn Layden: Mario on PlayStation Would Signal the End of Gaming Exclusives”

Shawn Layden, the former head of PlayStation, has shared his thoughts on the diminishing presence of full exclusives in gaming today.

In a recent appearance on the Pause for Thought podcast, Layden, who played a pivotal role during the PS4 era, discussed how platform holders are evolving their approach to first-party titles.

“I don’t think every game has to be console exclusive,” he stated. “Nor do I believe every game should be. However, I recognize the significant value that strong exclusives bring to brands like Sony and Nintendo—especially since Microsoft is leaning towards making Xbox more accessible everywhere.”

He humorously remarked, “If Mario started showing up on PlayStation, that would be the end of days, right? Cats and dogs living together. The same goes for Nathan Drake and Uncharted. These characters really elevate their platforms,” he explained, adding that multiplatform games often “code to the lowest denominator,” making exclusives a great opportunity to “push every lever to 11.”

Layden’s insights come as Xbox is transitioning many of its past exclusives to other consoles, while PlayStation has started to share titles like Helldivers 2 and Lego Horizon Adventures with Microsoft and Nintendo. Additionally, many PS5 exclusives eventually make their way to PC, although Nintendo remains steadfast in keeping its IPs exclusive.

“I believe there will still be exclusive titles in the future, but for massive multiplayer games, going multiplatform is almost a necessity to maximize player engagement,” Layden noted. “This is especially true for free-to-play models.”