Shawn Layden, former CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, stated on the Expansion Pass podcast that he would prefer to see tightly paced games lasting 20 to 25 hours that keep players engaged throughout. In his view, not every segment of 80-, 90-, or even 100-hour titles maintains the same level of quality.
Layden said he has played these lengthy titles, citing examples of long back-and-forth trips just to obtain a single item to illustrate how gameplay can be stretched. He advocates refocusing on projects with clearer scope rather than simply pursuing longer playtimes.
Discussing development costs, Layden believes that if teams target smaller-scale projects, costs may at least stop rising, even if they don't decrease. This is his perspective on development direction, not a verified change in costs.
Layden also linked some of the practices that extend game length to the video game rental culture of the 1990s. He said developers at the time would try to prevent players from finishing a game within a single weekend rental period.