These days, it seems every time Tencent is in the news, it’s acquiring another studio. In this case, it’s not a team but an individual who’s joining the most profitable game company in the world. Former Sony Entertainment America CEO Shawn Layden is now taking his talents to Tencent.
Layden made the announcement on LinkedIn, where he revealed that he joined the company as a strategic advisor as of August 2022. “In this new role, I hope to advise, assist, and support the team at Tencent as they deepen their activities and commitments within the industry to which I’ve devoted the majority of my career,” Layden explains. “We are at an epoch-defining moment in gaming and interactive entertainment. There are many possible roads ahead, but only a few are profound, broadening, inclusive, edifying, inspiring, and/or sustainable. I am thrilled to continue this journey of discovery and thank Tencent for the opportunity.” He certainly does sound “thrilled,” based on that grand statement.
Prior to joining Tencent, Layden held advisory roles at other organizations such as Streamline Media Group and Encore Leadership Advisors. His time at PlayStation is a defining era for many gamers, as he was the face of several PlayStation 4-focused presentations. He departed from PlayStation in 2019, stating a few years later that he had grown exhausted from his role at the company.
The last few years have been a defining era for Tencent too. The China-based company has been making major studio acquisitions all over the globe, including Turtle Rock Studios in California, Inflexion Games in Canada, and Tequila Works in Spain. Most recently, it acquired a significant stake in Elden Ring developer FromSoftware’s parent company Kadokawa Corporation. Layden’s new role at Tencent will involve advising the company on further strategic investments like that. With over $32 billion in revenue brought in throughout 2021, there’s a lot to play around with.
