Former PlayStation boss says "no one is in touch with their fan base more than Nintendo" and even Sony "was never this in touch" with what players wanted

Screenshot of Mario dragon Bowser pointing in realization — (Image credit: Nintendo)

PlayStation's former head Shawn Layden says Nintendo is more in touch with its fan base than basically any company of its size, which is also the reason it hasn't suffered from the post-Covid gaming slowdown that other publisher's have.

"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.'"

"Well, actually, Nintendo knew that would happen," Layden went on. "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."