Deviation Games, the studio which started up in 2021 with the goal of creating a new PlayStation-exclusive AAA IP, is shutting down.
When it was first introduced to the world, Deviation reportedly had over 100 developers working on its unnamed project, including veteran Call of Duty developers Jason Blundell and Dave Anthony, and had the backing of Sony Interactive Entertainment to boot, but it’s now the latest in a long line of closures and mass layoffs in the industry.
The studio’s chief HR and operations officer, Kriste Stull, broke the unfortunate news in a heartfelt LinkedIn post, writing:
“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.
“To the entire video game industry, we will be hosting a networking event, and we would love for any/all companies/studios hiring to participate. Please reach out to me directly if you are interested in attending.
“To all the Deviators out there, we will always cherish the memories we made together. Thank you for being a part of our journey. Go get ’em!”
The studio had already reportedly been affected by layoffs last year, but now it’s officially packing up shop before its debut game could even be revealed.
“We’re drawing on what we’ve learned over our collective decades making games, but we’re also out to make something fresh and brimming with innovation like you’ve never experienced before,” Blundell had said of the project at the time. “We’re not afraid to say that our ambitions are super high: we’re setting out to make a huge, content-rich game with a focus on a lot of action and a lot of energy, but let’s leave it at that for now and hopefully it won’t be long before we can share more.”
