PlayStation-partnered studio from former Black Ops devs shuts down after saying its Sony collaboration would bring "complete financial security"

09.03.2024 - 18:27 / gamesradar.com / John Romero / Kaan Serin / Last Of Us / Sony

Deviation Games, the new studio partnered with PlayStation, has shut down just a few years after saying its Sony collaboration would bring "complete financial security." 

Former Call of Duty: Black Ops veterans Jason Blundell and Dave Anthony founded the studio in 2020, and just one year later, the company ballooned in size and signed a contract to create an original series for publisher PlayStation that would've presumably been a console exclusive. Now, the studio is shutting its doors without even announcing its first project.

"I want to express my deepest gratitude to our entire team," chief human resources and operations officer Kirste Stull wrote on LinkedIn, spotted by gamesindustry.biz. "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."

When Deviation Games first announced its shiny signed deal, co-founder Dave Anthony excitedly said the match was "absolutely mind-blowing" because "from day one of the studio, we have complete financial security for years and years to come."

No concrete reason was given for the studio's closure, but the PlayStation division has been going through its own turmoil too. Sony recently laid off around 900 employees across its teams, including developers working at its Spider-Man, Last Of Us, and Horizon studios. The publisher also canceled The Last of Us Online, swept several unannounced projects under the rug, and shuttered its London subsidiary amid an ongoing wave of layoffs across the industry. 

Doom veteran John Romero recently said he's "never seen anything like what we're seeing now," in regard to the recent layoffs.