Shawn Layden Comments on Game Budgets and Length

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I was really interested to hear what former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden had to say about game length and budgets. He thinks games are getting too long and expensive, and honestly, I kind of agree! PlayStation definitely puts out massive games – look at Ghost of Tsushima, it’s huge and you can easily get lost in it. But they also nail it with shorter, more focused experiences. Games like The Last of Us and Uncharted tell incredible stories without needing 50+ hours to do it, and I appreciate that!

Shawn Layden recently pointed out that video games might be getting too long, offering more content than many players have time to finish. This idea isn’t new; earlier in 2025, former Bethesda developer Will Shen made a similar observation. Shen believes players are becoming tired of extremely long games and are actually looking for more reasonable experiences they can complete without spending countless hours. Given his work on huge, content-rich games like Starfield, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76, Shen clearly understands what it takes to create these massive titles. While many in the gaming community are starting to discuss this trend, the popularity of lengthy, well-made games like Baldur’s Gate 3 proves that a lot of players still enjoy investing a significant amount of time in a great game.

Shawn Layden Wants to See Shorter Games and Development Cycles

Former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden recently discussed the future of gaming on the Game Rant podcast, ‘Character Select.’ He criticized the current trend of massive, multi-year, and incredibly expensive game development. Layden believes games should be made more quickly – ideally within two to three years – and at a lower cost, around tens of millions of dollars rather than hundreds of millions. He suggests aiming for games that offer around 20-25 hours of gameplay. He argues that this approach would allow more developers to create games, ultimately leading to a wider variety of titles. He feels that the lengthy and costly production of huge AAA games ties up too many resources and limits the overall number of games being made.

Shawn Layden pointed out that long, expansive games used to be a good fit for players. But now, as gamers get older – many are in their 30s – they often have less free time. He noted that not everyone has the nearly 90 hours it takes to finish a game like Red Dead Redemption 2. Despite this, Red Dead Redemption 2 was hugely successful for Rockstar, and they’re probably aiming for similar or even greater success with the 2026 release of Grand Theft Auto 6.

Gamers are increasingly focused on how long it takes to make games, especially after rumors about the release date of Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. Some predicted a 2030 launch, but the game’s director, Casey Hudson, thinks it will arrive much sooner. CD Projekt Red is also mindful of development timelines, planning to release three new Witcher games within six years. This goal is quite ambitious, and some players are questioning whether these games will be as extensive as past installments. Although it’s hard to predict the future, it looks like gamers have a lot to anticipate.

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2025-12-26 19:05