Head of PlayStation Worldwide Studios is leaving Sony

Shawn Layden, PlayStation Worldwide Studios boss, is leaving the company, Sony announced. Layden had been serving as Chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios since April of 2016 and worked for Sony since 1987. Today, Sony announced via Twitter he would be leaving his role heading up Sony's first-party PlayStation studios.

The tweet reads, "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!"

No other information was provided about Layden's departure, and the news isn't reflected on his Twitter or LinkedIn profiles at the time of this writing. Regardless, Layden has been a staple of PlayStation events for many years, often-times serving as the face of the company at PlayStation's E3 presentations. No word yet on who will replace Layden as an integral figure of PlayStation's first-party game studios. 

SIE Worldwide Studios oversees studios responsible for developing first-party PlayStation games. Just some of the studios include Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, and Insomniac Studios, the latter of which Layden helped acquire in 2019. Naughty Dog is famously responsible for the acclaimed The Last of Us, and is currently wrapping development on its sequel, The Last of Us 2, due February 21, 2020.

The news comes just months after another mainstay of E3 events stepped down, CEO and president of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime.

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