Support NeoGAF

[Mr Moose]

Water is wet. Doesn’t mean we need to remind folk. Not everyone knows he’s not with Sony. I mean, I don’t keep track of who all comes and goes. This statement sounds like it comes from someone involved with the project.

That led to a direct response from ex-Sony executive Shawn Layden.

 

[Lokaum D+]

Oh boy, a rent It is...

ALSO

 

[Pantz]

$39.99 for the Steam Deluxe Edition is the best I can do.

 

[Umbral]

The game and trailer look like they could be good, if you can look past the train cars of shit behind the locomotive.

 

[Dynasty8]

Ok, I won't Shawn.

 

[MagiusNecros]

I don't think the backlash has anything to do with a female protag. Game has potential to do a Mulan kind of story with Atsu using the "Ghost" moniker that Sakai was known for. A bit premature to lambast the game.

 

[MethodRed]

Another angry lesbian game
We buy it and shut up

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

I just wish the character was hotter. Almost every time I have a character creator I make myself a hot Asian chick. Yellow fever for life!!!

 

[Sethbacca]

Says alot about intentions.

Says a lot about the intentions of the audience that every time a woman or non white person is on the screen people screech "WOKE" like a bunch of children. Telling people to go pound sand and either buy it or stop whining is long overdue.

 

[rodrigolfp]

As long as the game or character isn't too woke....I love playing female characters in games.

Femshep for example, was the best Shep.

Is it a little woke? If yes, why?

 

[StueyDuck]

Source​

the man has fuckall to do with playstation any more.

further proof that games media are just retards 99% of the time, this didn't need to be a story and it shouldn't have been. This is just sensationalist garbage and why i loathe modern gaming media.

Gamespot clearly has an agenda for this this, right now shawn layden is an idiot on the internet with the usual dumb flags in his bio. So basically anyone else on twitter.

 

[demigod]

Didn’t someone say this about Star Wars Outlaws?

Have you seen the protagonist versus her real life counterpart? Who the hell would want to play as her.

 

[ByWatterson]

I mean there's plenty of recorded history of an actual reasonable number of female samurai and ronin.

This isn't a Yasuke situation. At all.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

I’m sure playing as a hot Japanese woman will go over just fine with Western gamers.

 

[midnightAI]

Another angry lesbian game
We buy it and shut up

You thought the 'angry lesbian' post about GoY was so good you now posted it in two threads, clever girl.

 

[FoxMcChief]

Have you seen the protagonist versus her real life counterpart? Who the hell would want to play as her.

No idea. GoY lead looks cool. SWO lead looks like AI generated mess when asking it to create an image mixing a hot chick with a bat.

 

[XXL]

Is it a little woke? If yes, why?

No. I don't think so. We barely know anything at this point. She looks cool though.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

You do know he doesn't work for Sony anymore don't you?

This is a general thing in entitled narcissistic Western devs and execs, far from an exceptional case.

The contrast to Asian devs is again day and night. You can troll, mock or insult those and they won't react like little bitches because, at the end of the day, they are working for an audience, no matter if some individuals are obnoxious.

If trolls are hating the game for whatever reason, the only positive answer is silence. By acting cocky he's putting hundreds of jobs on the line and smearing Sucker Punch's work. He's a selfish asshole.

 

[Roxkis_ii]

I'm struggling to see why what he said is an issue?? Should you be forced to buy a game you don't like instead!?

Also people thinking this guy is still with Sony is hilarious.

 

[Mr Moose]

People are just mad that Jin is a legit ghost in this game.

 

[FoxMcChief]

It's literally in the title. (Former PlayStation CEO)

This is an enthusiast board where people ball hock executives past and present all the time. No excuses, NO MERCY!

Funny. My brain glossed right over that. But I’m also dyslexic.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Very smart to say that after people literally did that for Concord

 

[DonF]

People are going full retard, proving again and again that both the woke and the anti-woke are mentally ill.
Yes, the actress seems to be super woke... like most goddamn actors? But she's not a writer on the game, she's there to act.

For fuck's sake, I played the entirety of Rise of the Ronin as a chick. Plenty of women as important characters, including warriors. Was the game woke? Did it lecture me about systemic racism and cisheteronormativity? Nope.

The "keep politics out of my games" now see politics everywhere.

I mean i've not seen people complaining that its a woman, i've seen people asking for jin and people saying that they hope the game doesnt turn into a female strong trope. Like people HOPE that they pull it off, not just being dicks about the change to a woman.

 

[GymWolf]

Now we see why he was axed. Going to take some time to cut out the deep rooted cancer.

You could say that layden was layd off...

 

[Carmen Winstead]

bUt yOu'vE jUSt beEn rEpLaCiNg mY bElOvEd mAsCulInE mALe chArAcTeRs iN yOuR gAmEs fOr tHe lAsT yEaRs sOnY!!!!!

 

[midnightAI]

This is a general thing in entitled narcissistic Western devs and execs, far from an exceptional case.

The contrast to Asian devs is again day and night. You can troll, mock or insult those and they won't react like little bitches because, at the end of the day, they are working for an audience, no matter if some individuals are obnoxious.

If trolls are hating the game for whatever reason, the only positive answer is silence. By acting cocky he's putting hundreds of jobs on the line and smearing Sucker Punch's work. He's a selfish asshole.

But he has less clout than your big youtuber, and he's not wrong, he's basically saying stop whinging and moaning about games you never even intend to buy in the first place.

No one's jobs are at risk and sales won't be affected by a tweet from a former CEO who isn't even slating the games. The Devs are being silent, he has no affiliation with these games anymore, in fact last I heard he was working for Tencent

 

[DeepEnigma]

You could say that layden was layd off...

 

[R6Rider]

There's a controversy regarding the game protagonist being a woman?

You bet your ass there is.

 

[VulcanRaven]

Not a really good move to say to your audience. Says alot about intentions.

He is former CEO.

 

[Rentahamster]

I hate that saying though, "If you don't like it, don't [ _ ] it." Really fucking obnoxious way to address things from a corporate/business side.

From a marketing point of view, it's a dumb thing to say.

From a free market point of view, it's true.

 

[Mister Wolf]

I respect that. Just don't cry if it don't go the way you want it to.

 

[Jaybe]

There’s a reason he’s a former CEO

 

[sendit]

Should Ubisoft have said the same?

Yes

 

[hinch7]

From a marketing point of view, it's a dumb thing to say.

From a free market point of view, it's true.

This kind of talk only just damages customers perception of the people who are working on the games. As in the age of social media, any sort of critisim from the West for VG's are usually met with some sort of backhanded reply. Layden, a business owner and ex employee who cares for the industry.. should know better than attack your audience; no matter how small, dumb or nonsensical. And the worst part is he has nothing to do with the game and it only affects people working on it.

Reminds me of this tbh.. granted Ghosts won't fail.

 

[sharp weiner]

Not only will I not buy it. I will sell my PS5. Great new plan Sony. Also when your new console is 1000 dollars+ outside US, f u.

Same! And after that, I’m taking the batteries out of my Walkman

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

I mean, can't argue with that. Devs should make the game they want to make. If Yotei is good, that's cool. If they want to make the main character another annoying girlboss (which there's really no indication of, other than it being in a showcase stuffed with girlbosses), go for it. Devs should really stop bending over backwards to appease whoever's the most vocal and let the game speak for itself.

 

[midnightAI]

Not only will I not buy it. I will sell my PS5. Great new plan Sony. Also when your new console is 1000 dollars+ outside US, f u.

Ooh, cool, which new console is that? Didn't know Tencent were even making a console. Bit expensive for a first try though I think they'd be better trying to sell it closer to Sony's PS5 price.

 

[StereoVsn]

Ah yes, the Ubisoft and EA approach.

 

[Sethbacca]

Not only will I not buy it. I will sell my PS5. Great new plan Sony. Also when your new console is 1000 dollars+ outside US, f u.

This is like burning a book in protest after you already bought it. They already have your money man, they don't give a fuck what you do with it once the sale is tallied. You selling it will just allow someone else to buy more games and make Sony more money. If you really wanted to stick it to them you'd eat the cost sit on your console and just never use it again so that Sony couldn't make more money off you selling the console to someone else.

 

[Skifi28]

I too can't read he's the former CEO. Something something arrogant Sony is back.

 

[StereoVsn]

You could say that layden was layd off...

 

[Kvally]

Source​

We need more of that in the game industry.

 

[Saber]

He hasn't worked for Sony in years, but the statement is true. If you don't like it, don't buy it.

What intentions are those? His audience is just people who follow him on Twitter so he can say whatever he likes, in this case he's correct.

Exactly the point you guys missed. His intentions are nothing but to instigate people and farm points over social media.

Wow "If you don't like it, don't buy it". Whats next, 2+2=4?

I would rather explain the reasons for why the choice of character and re-affirm that the guys who love the first one will definetivelly love the second one. And if you don't like hey thats perfectly fine. But even so I would like to say to give a chance to the game, that you're in for a treat and definitivelly not gonna be dissapointed.

This right here is an example of the impression I got from comments like this one:

bUt yOu'vE jUSt beEn rEpLaCiNg mY bElOvEd mAsCulInE mALe chArAcTeRs iN yOuR gAmEs fOr tHe lAsT yEaRs sOnY!!!!!

Says a lot about the intentions of the audience that every time a woman or non white person is on the screen people screech "WOKE" like a bunch of children. Telling people to go pound sand and either buy it or stop whining is long overdue.

You mean the audience that is fans of Ghost of Tsushima? Thats the problem right here, you don't go for brownie points to fight against your customers, you talk to them. This ex-ceo sounds more like a twitter dweller or a forum member than actually an ex-ceo.

 

[BigBeauford]

Says a lot about the intentions of the audience that every time a woman or non white person is on the screen people screech "WOKE" like a bunch of children. Telling people to go pound sand and either buy it or stop whining is long overdue.

Exactly!!! We've waited for minutes for a Sony first party game to feature a female protagonist to upstage a male lead story and all you lot want to do is complain!

 

[killatopak]

Instead of listing out reasons why you should try something different, you completely alienate potential customers.

This kind of statement is all kinds of dumb. What a great way to sell something to someone else.

 

[Zacfoldor]

Unless he hates Sony now that is a dumb thing to say(maybe he does hate them, I don't know). Does he not follow the fate of all other games that have uttered this? Does he not follow Concord?

If we don't like it we don't play it and lobby others to do the same. That's how it works. We are just getting better at lobbying efforts. Much better.

Next we will be saying to you, if we don't play it, you don't make it. Very simple.

You think we are nothing. Honestly, we are legion. You make videogames. Do it right or we will find someone who will.

That said, I have no problem with a female protag but I do not like the capture person's politics, but as long as they stay far away from the game I'll still buy this one.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

You do know he doesn't work for Sony anymore don't you?

Of course.

He's still part of gaming. He worked at Tencent for a bit. Now founded this company which is some kind of combo of social media, gaming and sports.

Griple, Inc.

Griple is the “PVP of fandom” that makes a game out of game day.

griple.com

 

[Fake]

People are just mad that Jin is a legit ghost in this game.

Pretty much. Now everyone can be a ghost.

People will open their eyes as soon as Kratos get axed from the God of War Franchise.

 

[Sethbacca]

Exactly!!! We've waited for minutes for a Sony first party game to feature a female protagonist to upstage a male lead story and all you lot want to do is complain!

It's not even that, you're assuming I'm one sided in my "go pound sand" mantra here. The people whinging and whining about Harry Potter and Stellar Blade should have been told to go pound sand too. Trying to please everybody has just created this gaming culture where everything is so samey. Just let the creators make what they want to make and either buy it or don't. There are a group of people on either side of this argument that will never be pleased and you shouldn't even attempt to try, just tell them to fuck off and move on.

 

[bender]

He did layd-en that joke a little thick.