Shawn Layden, the former head of PlayStation, said Nintendo knows its fans better than most large companies, and that focus helped it avoid the post-COVID-19 downturn other publishers faced. Those comments matter because they offer a clear explanation for why Nintendo stayed steady while others chased a temporary boom.
Layden made the remarks in an interview, and he kept returning to the same idea: Nintendo understands its lane and its audience. “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” Layden told HipHopGamer when asked what he would do at the head of Nintendo. “I think Nintendo’s been very intentional in what lane they play in. And I’m not being dismissive about that at all. I mean, I think they’re very focused on who their fans are and what their fans want.”
“No one is more in touch with their fan base than Nintendo,” he continued. “Even PlayStation was never this in touch with the fan base as Nintendo is. They know who their fans are. Look at it this way. During the pandemic, when we saw revenues in video gaming rising significantly because we’re all locked inside and can’t go out, a lot of companies hired a bunch of people because they thought this curve is: ‘All numbers go up. Let’s chase that number. Let’s go, go, go. Throw some more gas on the fire.'”
Layden then explained that after lockdown restrictions eased up – who woulda thought? – people went outside and had less time for consoles, which contributed to the layoffs we’ve seen in recent years.
“Well, actually, Nintendo knew that would happen,” Layden said. “So, they’re like the one team that stayed just in position. They stayed on course. They had their plan. They’re moving their plan. So they didn’t have to suffer the peaks and valleys so much as if you’re chasing the opportunity. They just know what their opportunity is. They see it. They understand it better than anyone else. And they go for it and they do it really well.”
He closed on a light note: “If you put me in that job, I would just stand back,” he concluded.
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