Shawn Layden Recalls Tomb Raider’s Sega Saturn Debut in Japan
Sony’s Lost Treasure: Former playstation Boss Still Feels the Sting of ‘Tomb Raider’s’ Saturn Debut
Shawn Layden, former chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, reveals a lingering professional regret: losing Tomb Raider to Sega saturn in Japan.
Layden, who spent 32 years at Sony before departing in 2019, recently opened up to Eurogamer about his time bringing Western games to the Japanese market. He recalled a particularly stinging moment when Tomb Raider, a game he was eager to secure for PlayStation, ended up launching first on Sega Saturn.
“I wanted to get Tomb Raider for the Japanese market,” Layden said. “I wanted it to be on PlayStation. And I saw[JeremyHeath-SmithandAdrianSmithfoundersoforiginal[JeremyHeath-SmithandAdrianSmithfoundersoforiginal[JeremyHeath-SmithandAdrianSmithfoundersoforiginal[JeremyHeath-SmithandAdrianSmithfoundersoforiginalTomb Raider developer Core Design], and we talked about it, and they were really excited about the concept. We talked it through. They talked it through. Bada bing, bada boom… they signed to bring it out on Sega Saturn. Sega?! And then shortly thereafter, they did get it onto the PlayStation in Japan as well, but it launched on Sega. And yeah, that always felt… What could I have done to have actually gotten it? But I came that close.”
While Tomb Raider eventually made it’s way to PlayStation in Japan, the initial Saturn exclusivity stung. The game debuted concurrently on both consoles in North America, but in other regions, Saturn got the first crack at Lara Croft’s adventures. In Japan, Tomb Raider was known as Tomb Raiders and remained exclusive to Saturn for nearly a month.
Interestingly, Tomb Raider was originally conceived as a playstation title after Ken kutaragi, the “father of PlayStation,” showcased the console to Core Design’s jeremy Heath-Smith in the early 1990s. This gives Sony a strong claim to the franchise’s legacy.
Though, for Layden, the memory of losing Tomb Raider‘s Japanese debut to Sega remains a professional “what if.” The Saturn’s victory, even if temporary, seems to have left a lasting impression on the former PlayStation executive.
sony’s Lost Treasure: Former PlayStation Boss Still Feels the Sting of ‘Tomb Raider’s’ Saturn Debut
NewsDirectory3 Exclusive: Shawn Layden, former chairman of Sony interactive entertainment worldwide Studios, reveals a lingering professional regret: losing Tomb Raider to Sega Saturn in Japan.
Layden, who spent 32 years at sony before departing in 2019, recently opened up to Eurogamer about his time bringing Western games to the Japanese market. He recalled a particularly stinging moment when Tomb Raider, a game he was eager to secure for PlayStation, ended up launching first on Sega Saturn.
“I wanted to get tomb Raider for the Japanese market,” Layden said. “I wanted it to be on PlayStation.And I saw[JeremyHeath-SmithandAdrianSmithfoundersoforiginal[JeremyHeath-SmithandAdrianSmithfoundersoforiginal[JeremyHeath-SmithandAdrianSmithfoundersoforiginal[JeremyHeath-SmithandAdrianSmithfoundersoforiginaltomb Raider developer Core Design], and we talked about it, and they were really excited about the concept. We talked it through. They talked it through. Bada bing, bada boom… they signed to bring it out on Sega Saturn. Sega?! And then shortly thereafter, they did get it onto the PlayStation in Japan as well, but it launched on Sega.And yeah, that always felt… What could I have done to have actually gotten it? But I came that close.”
While Tomb Raider eventually made its way to PlayStation in Japan, the initial Saturn exclusivity stung. The game debuted concurrently on both consoles in North America,but in other regions,Saturn got the first crack at Lara Croft’s adventures. In Japan, Tomb Raider was known as Tomb Raiders and remained exclusive to Saturn for nearly a month.
Interestingly, Tomb Raider was originally conceived as a PlayStation title after Ken Kutaragi, the “father of PlayStation,” showcased the console to Core Design’s Jeremy Heath-Smith in the early 1990s. This gives Sony a strong claim to the franchise’s legacy.
Though, for Layden, the memory of losing Tomb Raider‘s Japanese debut to Sega remains a professional “what if.” The Saturn’s victory, even if temporary, seems to have left a lasting impression on the former PlayStation executive.