Sony's marketing team revealed that they are trying to promote game developers in a similar way to how they promote rock bands

 

When it comes to renowned developers like Hideo Kojima, Hidetaka Miyazaki, or Neil Druckmann, many people can instantly visualize their games without even mentioning the titles. Similarly, if we mention studios like Insomniac Games, Sucker Punch, or Naughty Dog, the games they have developed likely spring to mind just as easily. Have you ever wondered why we perceive them this way? And did you know that these studios and individuals were largely shaped and promoted by PlayStation and Sony? This is part of a deliberate marketing strategy where Sony promotes game developers in the same vein as rock stars.

This story ces from Shawn Layden, the former head of PlayStation, who spoke on Game Rant's Character Select podcast about the early days of PlayStation and how Sony entered the gaming industry. Layden revealed that the majority of the original PlayStation team consisted of people moving over from the music industry, bringing their own unique marketing strategies with them. He stated, "Game advertising at that time was very basic, like showing gameplay screenshots: here is the price, and here is a kid happily playing with a controller. Anyone familiar with the early days of the industry probably remembers those kinds of commercials or magazine adsom

This changed when Sony’s music marketing experts entered the gaming scene. Layden stated, "They wanted to do platform marketing, which meant marketing the developers and the games like you would market a rock band." This represented an effort to make consumers more interested in the creators behind the games. Through this strategy, the team felt they could make players care more about the developers' vision and their future projects. Layden further noted, "A lot of these weren’t PlayStation games per se; they were Naughty Dog games, Bandai games, and Koei games." When referring to individual developers who achieved stardom in the industry, Layden added, "We’re talking about Kojima-san."

In summary, many of the renowned developers and studios we know today were largely championed by Sony. Sony's goal was to build a deep connection between players and creators—to the point where if the names Insomniac Games, Sucker Punch, Naughty Dog, FromSoftware, or individuals like Kojima, Miyazaki, or Neil Druckmann are attached to a project, many are ready to open their wallets immediately because these names guarantee quality. Furthermore, figures such as Jade Raymond, Shinji Mikami, Hideki Kamiya, and Katsuhiro Harada were all boosted by Sony’s 'big push' strategy. This approach has proven incredibly effective in building consumer trust, and it’s likely that many are only just learning about this strategic origin from the former PlayStation chief himself