Shawn Layden joins Tencent as Strategic Advisor
- Thread starter Bryank75
- Start date
Big move from Tencent. At least, they are serious about having the right people in the right places.
Congratulations and best wishes for Shawn.
Congratulations and best wishes for Shawn.
Personally I think it's a garbage move. There's no way to not make this political, but willingly joining what basically amounts to an arm of the Chinese communist government and all the censorship and manipulation in media/entertainment that stands for is a terrible decision...
This is the antithesis of what this medium is about...
This is the antithesis of what this medium is about...
OK, Seriously! Different people have been defending Sony out the ass, essentially saying 'but, but, but... current market share/social media engagement'. Seems so short sighted by both the company, and it's defenders. This move by TenCent is just the latest - alongside things like Microsoft's $77B, and Embracer's hydra-like sub-publisher spending sprees. That's without Disney, Amazon, Google, Apple, NetEase, Saudi Royalty, and who knows whom else, deciding to make a more serious, deeper, sharper cut out of the industry with their individual machinations. I think Sony are dead and most don't know it yet. If Sony keep bumble-fucking around there'll be nothing left when they finally decide to get serious.
When devs/pubs are getting bought by others and you lose PS-associated games from it (either 1st paty former exclusive ends-up elsewhere, a 3rd party dev goes multiplatform, or their ability to contribute to Sony's future PS/VR library is taken away like with RAD, and Sony's offerings are poorer for it); and then we look and see things like GPD Win 4 literally looking like an improved Vita. By right, that thing (minus slide screen for windows 11 keyboard), should have been the first PS Vita revision instead of simply nerfing the OLED screen. It should have been a PS4-focused follow-up companion device which evolved the handheld market (double shoulders, clicky sticks etc in about 2014/5, instead of the PS(Vita)TV.
And that's really where I'm at. Haven't seen many games making the PS5 worthy of purchase (taking advantage of the machine itself's advantages). And instead of a PS Vita successor we got a phone-streaming-cooling-fan (WTF!?). My confidence in their decision-making/strategic ability, or indeed want to see this company continue to succeeed, in the face of their continued fuck-ups, is long past the point of turning sour now.
All Sony seem to want to talk about is PC and PS4 - FUCKING STILL!
Ok then. I'll get PS exclusive IPs on PC when you put them there, which you will, and then I don't need a PS5 or PS6. I'm not buying a PSVR2, apparently the games aren't backwards compatable. It'd just be just another in a long line of stillborn hardware/service shat-out and then not supported fully, after such luminaries as Xperia Play, minis, MediaPlayGo, PS Vita, PSVitaTV, PSVUE, PSNow, PS+++ rebrand etc. They fucked-up so many things, and even more not capitalized-on others, or have missed opportunities. You're not offering a PSP4, so I guess I gotta go mod the GPD Win 4 to have the PS games I want it to, made portable.
I'm serious if I get pushed to PC/GPDWin4:
1. I'm not coming back to consoles.
2. For the amount of ballache modding hardware/software involved, I'm paying as little as I can to do so.
When devs/pubs are getting bought by others and you lose PS-associated games from it (either 1st paty former exclusive ends-up elsewhere, a 3rd party dev goes multiplatform, or their ability to contribute to Sony's future PS/VR library is taken away like with RAD, and Sony's offerings are poorer for it); and then we look and see things like GPD Win 4 literally looking like an improved Vita. By right, that thing (minus slide screen for windows 11 keyboard), should have been the first PS Vita revision instead of simply nerfing the OLED screen. It should have been a PS4-focused follow-up companion device which evolved the handheld market (double shoulders, clicky sticks etc in about 2014/5, instead of the PS(Vita)TV.
And that's really where I'm at. Haven't seen many games making the PS5 worthy of purchase (taking advantage of the machine itself's advantages). And instead of a PS Vita successor we got a phone-streaming-cooling-fan (WTF!?). My confidence in their decision-making/strategic ability, or indeed want to see this company continue to succeeed, in the face of their continued fuck-ups, is long past the point of turning sour now.
All Sony seem to want to talk about is PC and PS4 - FUCKING STILL!
Ok then. I'll get PS exclusive IPs on PC when you put them there, which you will, and then I don't need a PS5 or PS6. I'm not buying a PSVR2, apparently the games aren't backwards compatable. It'd just be just another in a long line of stillborn hardware/service shat-out and then not supported fully, after such luminaries as Xperia Play, minis, MediaPlayGo, PS Vita, PSVitaTV, PSVUE, PSNow, PS+++ rebrand etc. They fucked-up so many things, and even more not capitalized-on others, or have missed opportunities. You're not offering a PSP4, so I guess I gotta go mod the GPD Win 4 to have the PS games I want it to, made portable.
I'm serious if I get pushed to PC/GPDWin4:
1. I'm not coming back to consoles.
2. For the amount of ballache modding hardware/software involved, I'm paying as little as I can to do so.
My crystal ball says Tencent exclusive on PlayStation in the coming years….
Honestly I think this move from Tencent is to look like the good guy not the villain. Expect relationships between Sony and them to get better not worse. Also this helps their image.
If they are truly trying to get away from the Chinese Republican Party scrutiny this is a step in the right direction. But remember Shawn is being brought in as an advisor not a CEO.
Similar to Reggie and Gamestop. So it could end quickly if Shawn gets wind of some nefarious stuff.
I can see @David Jaffe rioting later tonight in his next stream 
Chinese instead what they do when investing on something foreigner is to invest in something that already works well and knows that market. They support them with money and extra resources they may need to help them work even better, and they collect dividends on a win/win situation. They don't have the mentality of the western countries and particularly USA of conquering and forcing their views and strategy on the conquered ("acquired" in the corporate area) ones.
I have friends in several acquired or invested game studios from Tencent and all of them say that. Some of them even were close friends of the (European) Tencent Europe execs before Tencent invested/bought them, so they for sure know their real plans. Plus there are several known people who also publicly claimed that.
Tencent will bet on multiplatform and won't change their acquired studios to change anything from their games. They will only give them money and help from their other game studios to grow and enter and become stronger in markets like China and mobile if want to do so and if they weren't already there.
Nah, it's smarter for them to continue covering all platforms, specially mobile. But having Shawn will help them have a better relationship with Sony and current or former Sony (and friend studios) executives plus will give them maybe some extra insight from US console market.
Tencent is a private company unrelated to the Chinese government who doesn't censor and in fact doesn't ask to change anything to the foreign studios they acquire or invest on, something that US companies do.
Chinese instead what they do when investing on something foreigner is to invest in something that already works well and knows that market. They support them with money and extra resources they may need to help them work even better, and they collect dividends on a win/win situation. They don't have the mentality of the western countries and particularly USA of conquering and forcing their views and strategy on the conquered ("acquired" in the corporate area) ones.
I have friends in several acquired or invested game studios from Tencent and all of them say that. Some of them even were close friends of the (European) Tencent Europe execs before Tencent invested/bought them, so they for sure know their real plans. Plus there are several known people who also publicly claimed that.
Tencent will bet on multiplatform and won't change their acquired studios to change anything from their games. They will only give them money and help from their other game studios to grow and enter and become stronger in markets like China and mobile if want to do so and if they weren't already there.
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OP
OP
I can see @David Jaffe rioting later tonight in his next stream
Nah, it's smarter for them to continue covering all platforms, specially mobile. But having Shawn will help them have a better relationship with Sony and current or former Sony (and friend studios) executives plus will give them maybe some extra insight from US console market.
Tencent is a private company unrelated to the Chinese government who doesn't censor and in fact doesn't ask to change anything to the foreign studios they acquire or invest on, something that US companies do.
Chinese instead what they do when investing on something foreigner is to invest in something that already works well and knows that market. They support them with money and extra resources they may need to help them work even better, and they collect dividends on a win/win situation. They don't have the mentality of the western countries and particularly USA of conquering and forcing their views and strategy on the conquered ("acquired" in the corporate area) ones.
I have friends in several acquired or invested game studios from Tencent and all of them say that. Some of them even were close friends of the (European) Tencent Europe execs before Tencent invested/bought them, so they for sure know their real plans. Plus there are several known people who also publicly claimed that.
Tencent will bet on multiplatform and won't change their acquired studios to change anything from their games. They will only give them money and help from their other game studios to grow and enter and become stronger in markets like China and mobile if want to do so and if they weren't already there.
Is this why Shawn was dodging Jaffe's invitation to come on the show?
Probably. But I think it was more or less when you come on to a company you sign NDA's and I bet Jaffe's name came up.
Tencent while 'private' is still under CCP regulations, and has a known history in both gaming and film of altering products to conform to government standards. Nothing good can come from emboldening them and granting them a larger foothold in the industry.I can see @David Jaffe rioting later tonight in his next stream
Nah, it's smarter for them to continue covering all platforms, specially mobile. But having Shawn will help them have a better relationship with Sony and current or former Sony (and friend studios) executives plus will give them maybe some extra insight from US console market.
Tencent is a private company unrelated to the Chinese government who doesn't censor and in fact doesn't ask to change anything to the foreign studios they acquire or invest on, something that US companies do.
Chinese instead what they do when investing on something foreigner is to invest in something that already works well and knows that market. They support them with money and extra resources they may need to help them work even better, and they collect dividends on a win/win situation. They don't have the mentality of the western countries and particularly USA of conquering and forcing their views and strategy on the conquered ("acquired" in the corporate area) ones.
I have friends in several acquired or invested game studios from Tencent and all of them say that. Some of them even were close friends of the (European) Tencent Europe execs before Tencent invested/bought them, so they for sure know their real plans. Plus there are several known people who also publicly claimed that.
Tencent will bet on multiplatform and won't change their acquired studios to change anything from their games. They will only give them money and help from their other game studios to grow and enter and become stronger in markets like China and mobile if want to do so and if they weren't already there.
This is good for no one.
OP
OP
I think to sell in China, you are required to make some changes.... doesn't matter if you're a Chinese company or not.
The issue stems from their involvement in Western markets. When they get enough control of an organization they make internal changes which bring their products into government conformity.
With their rate of growth it's only a matter of time until freedom of development in key industrial areas no longer exists.
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peter42O
Guest
I don't see Sony dying any time soon and even if they were in trouble, they do have an easy out - they could always go third party multi-platform OR they could merge/sell to Tencent, Apple or Amazon which have a shit ton of cash. As of now, Sony just needs to stay on track with what they're doing but speed up the process for certain things like porting their exclusives to PC, cloud infrastructure, mobile/portable, etc. Sony in general will be just fine because despite having some screw ups this generation, they're all relatively minor and nothing that would truly hurt or damaged their company or the PlayStation brand.
PS4 is most likely done after God of War Ragnarok. PC should be a priority because it's an extra revenue/profit stream that they don't really have yet and is also an entirely different beast and user install base compared to consoles. If anything, you're getting way too worried and concerned over nothing in my opinion because again, Sony will be just fine.
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peter42O
Guest
Congratulations to Shawn Layden. Always liked him as the head of PlayStation. I would have liked to see Microsoft bring him in to help Booty run all the studios. Oh well.
They are under their government regulations, in the same way the companies from USA are under their government regulations, yes. But unlike western corportations they don't 'force' game studios to introduce propaganda, in that case from the US military (by far the one that invaded/destroyed more countries and people since at least the nazis) or woke stuff.
This can't be a real viewpoint. Media, entertainment and video games are First Amendment protected in the United States with no government oversight. Every form of media consumption both developed inside and outside of China that is owned within China is controlled by the CCP and their morality and propaganda administrations. Give me a break dude lol.