Shawn Layden, who served as president and CEO of SCEA between 2014 and 2019, may have left Sony behind, but his insights on PlayStation and its future continue to resonate. In a new interview with HipHopGamer, Layden discussed which dormant PlayStation franchises he would most like to see revived.
At the top of his list is Resistance, Insomniac's sci-fi shooter that hasn't been seen since 2012 on the overlooked PlayStation Vita. Layden believes the series absolutely deserves a comeback, even if Insomniac is currently tied up with Spider-Man and Wolverine. Another clear "yes" from the former Sony executive is Jak and Daxter. He compared it to how skeptically people first reacted to a new Ratchet & Clank on PS4—before it turned into a major success.
Layden was far more cautious about SOCOM, which he described as groundbreaking in its time but difficult to revive in a modern context. He also pointed to The Order: 1886, a title with strong potential that, according to him, was undermined by a rushed development cycle. Lastly, he mentioned PlayStation All-Stars, Sony's own take on the "Smash Bros." formula, which he felt was built on a solid idea but ultimately lacked the right feel.
Although Layden no longer has the authority to greenlight such projects, his reflections inevitably raise one big question: which classic PlayStation series would fans most like to see return on PS5?
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