Shawn Layden, the former PlayStation executive who helped steer the brand through its golden years, has revealed that not everyone at Sony believed in bringing Ratchet & Clank back on the PlayStation 4. Speaking with HipHopGamer, Layden explained that when he pushed for a reboot of the franchise in 2016, the sales and marketing teams were hesitant.
“Look, I greenlit Ratchet & Clank on the PS4, and at the time, the sales and marketing people were going, ‘No one wants to play that old game Ratchet and Clank,’” Layden recalled.
A Classic, Reimagined
The 2016 release of Ratchet & Clank served two purposes: it reimagined the original 2002 game for a new generation and tied into the animated movie that launched the same year. While the film flopped, the game itself went on to become a hit, introducing the iconic Lombax and his robotic partner to millions of PS4 players who had never experienced their adventures before.
Layden admitted that convincing executives to sign off on the project required a clever reframing. Market research showed that nearly 80% of PS4 owners had never heard of the franchise at all. “So 80% don’t know it,” Layden explained. “For them, it’s a new game. It’s not an old game. And great games are always great.”
Why Nostalgia Still Matters
This anecdote highlights a broader challenge in the gaming industry: balancing the desire to create fresh intellectual properties with the pressure to stick to proven brands. For Layden, the success of Ratchet & Clank on PS4 validated the idea that old franchises can still thrive if presented to new audiences in the right way.
It also sheds light on how generational shifts in gaming mean that what feels “old” to long-time fans can feel brand new to younger players. By tapping into nostalgia while modernizing the experience, franchises like Ratchet & Clank can bridge that gap.
What About Other Dormant Franchises?
Layden didn’t stop with Ratchet & Clank. He hinted at how he’d approach other beloved but dormant PlayStation names. He mentioned Jak and Daxter as a series he’d still consider greenlighting, despite its long absence from the spotlight. He also called PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Sony’s attempt at a Smash Bros.-style brawler, “important” for the brand, even if it didn’t succeed during its first run.
Other titles like The Order: 1886 and SOCOM also came up, with Layden suggesting that while they may not have reached their full potential the first time around, that doesn’t mean they’re finished stories.
The Bigger Picture
Layden’s comments point to a recurring theme in his career: the willingness to take creative risks, even when spreadsheets and forecasts say otherwise. In an era where ballooning budgets, sometimes north of $200 million per AAA release—force publishers to take fewer chances, his perspective feels increasingly rare.
His belief that “great games are always great” serves as both a defense of classic franchises and a challenge to an industry that often sidelines beloved IPs too quickly. If Ratchet & Clank’s PS4 revival proved anything, it’s that even the most seasoned mascots can find new life when the right vision is in place.
