The rumor was started by the good David Jaffe, always ready to stir up the slurry when it comes to attracting attention, and the information was confirmed by Sony today: Connie Booth has just set sail walls of Sony/PlayStation after 34 years of service. After having participated in the catastrophic Rise of the Robots (Super Nintendo), Johnny Mnemonic And The Lawnmower Man (on Windows PC), Connie Booth started at Sony as Senior Producer on the first Crash Bandicoot in 1996. A title which was the first in a long list of successes: Siphon Filter, Ratchet & Clank, Spyro the Dragon, Uncharted, Jak and Daxter, inFamous, Resistance, Sly Cooper… Until the apotheoses of The Last of Us, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Death Stranding and Ghost of Tsushima.
We Connie the song
Connie Booth was one of these gray eminences, both discreet and indispensable, who largely contributed to the construction of the PlayStation identity, and to the success of AAA made in Sony. His contribution to the development of the video gaming sphere in the broad sense was recognized in 2020 during his induction into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Science’s Hall of Fame. Meggan Scavio, President of the AIAS then declared that “for more than twenty years, [Connie Booth] has been the leading voice and advocate for countless PlayStation franchises, while encouraging new talent in the industry. His tireless work and passion have had an indelible impact on game creators, allowing their creative visions to flourish“.
His collaboration with Sony/PlayStation ends with a veil of mystery over the reasons for his departure. Creative divergences? Bickering with higher-ups? For the moment the main interested party has not commented on this subject. Among other things, it would be mentioned the fact that the rag was burning between Connie Booth and Jim Ryan concerning the emphasis on the development of GAAS internally (Ryan being convinced that the GAAS would be the future of video games).
In a statement to our colleagues at Axios, a PlayStation representative said that Connie Booth “contributed to the success PlayStation Studios enjoys today and his passion for creating an environment where a team’s creative vision can fully flourish has left a positive impact on many game developers“. This same representative added: “We are grateful to Connie for her many contributions to the company and wish her the best in her future endeavors“.