It's the "creative genius" of auteurs like Hideo Kojima that's responsible for "games we always remember," according to former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden, who says he's "never seen a good game built by committee."
Speaking on The Trophy Room podcast (below), Layden – former president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America as well as chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios – is asked if the games industry "overvalues" auteurs, with host Joe Moran specifically pointing to Metal Gear and Death Stranding's Hideo Kojima, BioShock's Ken Levine, The Last of Us's Neil Druckmann, and Todd Howard of The Elder Scrolls and Fallout fame.
Clearly, though, Layden doesn't think so. "Look, you know, there was only one Rembrandt, right?" he begins. "And there's only one Martin Scorsese. Auteurs, quote unquote, built this business."
As far as Layden is concerned, he "sadly" believes that "quite often greatness requires a megalomaniac. It just does." He refers to PlayStation's creator as he adds: "This is a guy who worked for Ken Kutaragi, so I know what I'm talking about."
Ultimately, it comes down to games being memorable, and the games from those auteurs being excellent examples. "From that chaotic genius comes games we always remember," Layden says. "I've never seen a good game built by committee. I've seen a lot of bad games built by committee, but I won't name them here. And that's just kind of how it is."
From his time at PlayStation, Layden notes that the goals of the big bosses like himself and the auteurs behind them were ultimately "the same" – to make a "great game." He continues: "My job as chairman of the studios is just to get the rocks out of the road, lift the logs off the road. When Tokyo or headquarters starts calling, 'I'll take that call. You guys keep working on the game.'" All of this is to "protect the auteurs" from potential "distractions."
While Kojima is the game creator probably most frequently cited as an auteur, the description arguably applies to a whole bunch of notable devs – just think of the likes of Nier's Yoko Taro or FromSoftware boss Hidetaka Miyazaki. It's hard to imagine where we'd be without the innovation pushed by devs like them – and long may that continue.
