Trending
Deviation Games, a PlayStation-backed studio that was formed by ex-Call of Duty developers back in 2020 to work on a brand new AAA shooter IP has closed down. The news was confirmed by the studios' HR Kriste Stull on LinkedIn.
"It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Deviation Games. I want to express my deepest gratitude to our entire team. Thank you for all your hard work, dedication, and contributions to Deviation; I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have worked with each and every one of you," Stull posted.
Back in 2021, Deviation Games announced that they are working on a groundbreaking new game with PlayStation. The project was led by Jason Blundell, the creator of Call of Duty Zombies franchise.
Blundell left the studio shortly after the announcement to reportedly work at Sony Interactive Entertainment in a different role. Since his departure, the studio lost over 80 per cent of its staff and cancelled the ongoing shooter project.
The studio did not provide more details about the closure or the reasons behind the layoffs and game cancellation but if we had to guess, we'd say that Sony probably decided to pull out from the deal to cut costs. Sony president Hiroki Totoki recently said that the company will be reviewing their live service games to ensure the best possible quality, which resulted in several major game cancellations including The Last of Us multiplayer project, the new Twisted Metal game and now Deviation Games' shooter.
Back in 2021, Deviation Games explained that the partnership with Sony would bring them financial stability for years to come while they worked on their big game. What started as a big team-up with one of the biggest video game publishers in the world ended in a proper disaster for both sides. Hopefully, the people who worked at Deviation will at least be offered new roles at Sony's other studios.
DON'T MISS:
- God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn live-action scripts are in development, Sony confirm
- Ghost of Tsushima is no longer a PlayStation exclusive: It's coming to PC in May 2024
- Xbox Partner Preview 2024 - List of all announced games
- Next-gen Xbox console officially in the works; will be the greatest technological leap ever, say Microsoft
- A Watch Dogs movie featuring Sophie Wilde (Talk to me) is in development
