Farewell, Shawn Layden: PlayStation President Leaves Abruptly

Once in a “blue moon” an individual graces our society and has such a profound effect on us that when they leave it’s as if there is a black hole where they once were. This could be said of the recent announcement that Shawn Layden, head of Playstation worldwide studios, is departing.

According to an official company tweet:

“It is with great emotion that we announce that Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden will be departing SIE. His visionary leadership will be greatly missed. We wish him success in future endeavors and are deeply grateful for his years of service. Thanks for everything, Shawn!”

“Years of service” is an understatement. Layden started with Sony back in 1987 as an assistant to Akio Morita, founder of Sony. As time went on he climbed the corporate ladder, going from COO to president of Playstation in the US. It wasn’t until 2016 that he became head of worldwide studios, playing a pivotal role in acquiring developer Insomniac, best known for the 2016 reboot of the Ratchet and Clank franchise as well as the 2018 critically acclaimed Spider-Man.

At the time of this post it is not known as to what Layden’s future plans are, nor whom will fill the vacant position now that he’s seemingly stepped down. We’ll update the story as more unfolds, but for right now we wish Mr. Layden the best as we await his next venture.